Fresh from its victory in last week’s Asian Television Award in Singapore over the weekend, “Descendants of the Sun” continues to enjoy success, this time by airing in Greece.
Soompi reported on Thursday that TV100 started to broadcast since Thursday, Dec. 7, the 16-episode Korean military-medical drama, starring Song Joong-ki and Song Hye Kyo. TV100 is a private Greek TV channel in Thessaliniki.
Since the mega-hit TV drama, which aired in South Korea via KBS 2TV and in China through video streaming broadcaster iQiyi from late February to mid-April, includes a three-part special at the end of 16 episodes, TV100 would air “Descendants of the Sun” for 19 weeks. The last three weeks would be the behind-the-scenes TV special.
“Descendants of the Sun” in Greece has a primetime slot of 9 p.m. every Wednesday and replays a 4:30 p.m. on Sundays. All areas of Greece and Cyprus would be able to watch the Hallyu on cable TV. KBS 2TV expects high viewership in Greece because some scenes in “Descendants of the Sun” were filmed in Zakynthos and Arachova which are popular tourist destinations in Greece.
In 2013, TV100 aired two Hallyu – “I Miss You” and “Jewel in the Palace, according to the Korean Embassy in Greece. Ahn Young Jip, Korean ambassador to Greece, said he hopes the airing of “Descendants of the Sun” would deepen the cultural exchange between South Korea and Greece which is the first European country to air the TV series.
“Descendants of the Sun” is expected to be nominated again for the 2016 KBS Drama Awards on Dec. 31. The awards night would be hosted by Korean actor Park Bo Gum, whose period drama “Moonlight Drawn by Clouds” could be one of the nominees in the best drama category. He and co-star Kim Yoo Jung are expected to compete with Song Jong-ki and Song Hye Kyo, stars of “Descendants of the Sun” for the Best Couple Award.
However, this early, Park Bo Gum has conceded that he feels the award would go to his friends Song Joong-ki and Song Hye Kyo whom he described as the “almighty Song-Song couple,” according to IBT.