The SBS medical drama "Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim" continue to register strong TV ratings despite its impending end. Recently, the said series surpassed the 30 percent viewership mark and even bested the records earlier posted by another SBS medical series "Doctors."
Park Shin Hye's drama "Doctors" was one of SBS' popular dramas in 2016. During its 20-episode run, the series posted double-digit TV ratings where the highest was at 23.1 percent across the Seoul metropolitan area.
With "Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim" airing just a few months after Park's drama, SBS' currently airing medical series replicated and even bested the TV ratings reached by "Doctors." The former even recently crossed the 30 percent viewership mark.
Viewership share for "Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim" episode 19 peaked at 30.1 percent, according to Nielsen Korea, as cited by Yonhap News. Aired on Jan. 10, Tuesday, the said episode also posted TV ratings of 28.6 percent and 26.7 percent, in Seoul and across South Korea, respectively.
Many critics considered that said drama's milestone as impressive given the low viewership shares of several weekday dramas. The SBS medical series' Monday-Tuesday drama competitors have recently registered single digit TV ratings.
The latest episode of the star-studded KBS historical drama "Hwarang" only reached nationwide TV ratings of 7.6 percent. Meanwhile, MBC's "Night Light" only posted viewership shares of 4 percent.
In other news, a tense scene in "Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim" episode 18 also registered peak ratings of 30 percent. Released on Jan. 9, Monday, the confrontation between Dong Joo (Yoo Yeon Seok) and mentor Teacher Kim (Han Suk Kyu) was watched by many South Korean viewers.
Moreover, around six million viewers across South Korea tuned in to watch the said episode, according to Nielsen Korea, as cited by OSEN. If compared to its competitor dramas, the SBS medical series' viewer size is four times bigger, as indicated in the same report.
"Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim" will air its final episode on Jan. 16, Monday and a special episode on Jan. 17, Tuesday. Watch a clip from the SBS medical drama below: