[Aju News DB]
South Korea's new TV hit drama "Descendants of the Sun" has recorded more than 30 percent in viewership in Seoul, only after its fifth episode was aired on Wednesday.
The drama starring actor Song Hye-kyo and actress Song Joong-ki posted 31.2 percent n Seoul, the highest since it premiered on February 24, according to Nielsen Korea.
Across South Korea, its viewership stood at 27.4 percent, compared with the average rating of three to five percent recorded by other dramas aired at the same time.
Its rising popularity sparked speculation the new drama series may beat "The Moon Embracing the Sun," a historical and fantasy drama series aired in 2012, which recorded up to 42.2 percent.
"Descendants of the Sun" is the first South Korean drama to be aired in South Korea and China simultaneously.
In China, the drama's first four episodes, distributed on the video streaming website iQiyi, have collected more than 316 million views so far.
"My Love from the Star," a sci-fi romance series starring actor Kim Soo-hyun and actress Jun Ji-hyun was estimated to have been viewed 3.7 billion times on Chinese video websites since 2014.
"Descendants of the Sun" is a 16-episode long drama telling a love story between an army captain and a female doctor, who are on a mission together in a fictional war-torn country called Uruk to save lives. Unlike other Korean dramas, it was pre-produced.
Aju News Lim Chang-won = cwlim@ajunews.com
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