Kim Rae Won vs. Namgoong Min Drama Ratings Battle Begins as Lee Jun Ho and Yoona’s ‘King the Land’ Dominates

Neither Kim Rae Won nor Namgoong Min can laugh comfortably in the face of the momentum from ‘King the Land’.

SBS Friday-Saturday drama ‘The First Responders’ and MBC Friday-Saturday drama ‘Lovers’ premiered at the same time on August 4th, plunging into a drama competition. On the same day, during the respective press conferences, they amusingly revealed their competitive spirit.

Kim Rae Won, who attended the press conference an hour earlier for ‘The First Responders’, joked about the competition with ‘Lovers’, asking, “What was that drama’s title again?” Upon hearing this, Namgoong Min, at the ‘Lovers’ press conference, wittily retorted, “Our drama’s title has only two characters, did you not know? How many characters does yours have?” 

Namgoong Min added, “Since our dramas are airing at the same time on the same day, it would be great to engage in friendly competition.” He said with confidence, “Rae Won, I’m confident,” making a playful declaration of a friendly competition.

This sparked heightened interest in the ratings of the two dramas. ‘The First Responders’ recorded 7.1% in its first episode on August 4th, while ‘Lovers’ achieved 5.4%, making it seem like ‘The First Responders’ had the upper hand.  

However, the next day, the viewership trend flipped. It was due to the presence of the absolute powerhouse, JTBC’s Saturday-Sunday drama ‘King the Land‘. ‘The First Responders’ and ‘Lovers’ each recorded 5.1% and 4.3% respectively in their second episodes, failing to avoid a drop. ‘King the Land’ continued its dominance, achieving a rating of 11.9% in its episode on August 5th. 

‘King the Land’ will wrap up with its finale on August 6th. Attention is focused on whether ‘The First Responders’ and ‘Lovers’ can fill the void left by ‘King the Land’.

Source: Daum.