South Korean actor Ji Sung plays the lead character of Park Jung-Woo in SBS' 'Defendant.' (Photo : YouTube/K WONDERLAND)
The new SBS drama "Defendant" kicked off its run on Jan. 23, Monday, with impressive viewership ratings. The premiere episode topped the ratings among Monday-Tuesday dramas, besting KBS 2TV's "Hwarang: The Beginning" and MBC's "Night Light."
Starring Ji Sung and Uhm Ki Joon, the first episode of the SBS drama reached an average TV rating of 14.5 percent, according to Nielsen Korea, as cited by Soompi. In the same time slot, the 11th episode of KBS 2TV's "Hwarang: The Beginning" recorded nationwide ratings of 11 percent, while the 18th episode of the MBC melodrama "Night Light" only got 4.1 percent.
"The drama will keep you on the edges of your seats as Park Jung Woo's life suddenly takes a fall," a staff from "Defendant" said. Helmed by Jo Young Kwang and Jung Dong Yoon, the SBS drama follows Park Jung Woo (Ji), a genius and skilled prosecutor who finds himself a convict on death row after being framed for the murder of his daughter and wife.
Suffering from impermanent amnesia, Park Jung Woo struggles to prove his innocence. The "Nightmare High" actor, on the other hand, is said to be playing a dual role namely Cha Min Ho and Cha Sun Ho.
The former is a serial killer who suddenly died, while the latter believes Park Jung Woo is behind his twin brother's mysterious death. Hence, Cha Sun Ho is determined to put the protagonist behind bars under false charges.
It comes after Ji said "Defendant" is one of the most difficult projects he worked on. The 39-year-old actor admitted this to the local media during a press conference on Jan. 19, Thursday.
"I was constantly in a state of tears since I tormented myself in different ways, by either pushing my limits while exercising or continuously reading the script," Yonhap News Agency quoted Ji as saying before a predominantly Korean crowd. "I keep having dreams of me hanging on the verge of death or saving a family from distress. That's why it's been hard at times, but it also made me wonder, 'What dream will I have today?'"
Also starring Oh Chang Suk, Uhm Hyun Kyung, and Girls' Generation's Kwon Yuri, "Defendant" airs every Monday-Tuesday at 10:00 PM (KST). Check out the first episode here:
