7 Unpopular K-Dramas in Korea: ‘Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo,’‘Hwarang,’ More
International fans are enthusiastic every time there is a new bunch of upcoming K-dramas. May it is romance, comedy, action, horror, historical, mystery, legal, or a combination of all, avid viewers are looking forward to it.
But as much as these K-series gained popularity abroad, they received low ratings in Korea and were unable to earn strong support from the locals.
1. 'Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo'
The show was packed with versatile actors namely, Lee Joon Gi, IU, Kang Ha Neul, Nam Joo Hyuk, EXO's Baekhyun, Hong Jung Hyun, Ji Soo, Yoon Sun Woo, Kang Han Na, and SNSD's Seohyun. Unfortunately, the historical-romance drama did not reach the expectations of its local viewers.
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The presence of its star-studded cast did not guarantee a high rating. It had a fierce rivalry with another historical-romance series "Love in the Moonlight" which stars Park Bo Gum and Kim Yoo Jung and received excellent ratings.
2. 'Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo'
Starring former couple Lee Sung Kyung and Nam Joo Hyuk, "WLFKBJ" is one of the most talked-about rom-coms by international fans. It immediately captivated the emotions of the viewers. It developed a huge following from overseas K-drama fans.
However due to its rival "The Legend of The Blue Sea" which also stars two of the top South Korean stars, Lee Min Ho and Jun Ji Hyun, "Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo" failed to make it to the top.
3. 'Hwarang'
Despite having an all-star cast namely, Park Seo Joon, Park Hyun Sik, SHINee's Minho, BTS V, Do Ji Han, Go Ara, Seo Ye Ji, and Jo Yoon Woo, the KBS drama fell short of expectations.
It also struggled to increase viewership ratings since it faced strong competition with the medical drama "Dr. Romantic." But even though it failed to attract local viewers, the romance series successfully became popular in various countries.
4. 'Uncontrollably Fond'
Another KBS series has become popular with the international audience and has even been named the most viewed K-drama on Youku, a big streaming platform in China. Sadly, it failed to attract the attention of Korean viewers.
It had high expectations because of its lead stars Kim Woo Bin and Suzy, who are prominent artists in the country. It started strong and even had double-digit ratings. Unfortunately, as the story progressed, ratings declined.
5. 'Extraordinary You'
Overseas fans were captivated by this masterpiece for it has a great plot and good casting. But unfortunately, it failed to impress the Korean audience and only averaged viewership ratings below five percent during its broadcast.
On the other hand, this series boosted the careers of its main and talented cast namely SF9's Rowoon, Kim Hye Yoon, Lee Jae Wook, Jung Gun Joo, and Kim Young Dae.
6. 'True Beauty'
This rom-com series did not record double-digit ratings or even five percent, since it premiered. "True Beauty" did not do well domestically. However, it was one of the dramas that captivated the viewers in Asia and undeniably became a global sensation due to its gorgeous lead stars, Moon Ga Young, Cha Eun Woo, and Hwang In Yeop.
It also became Hwang In Yeop's biggest break where he reached more than 10 million followers on Instagram and viewers experienced the second-lead syndrome again.
7. 'Doom at Your Service'
It was one of the highly-anticipated dramas in 2021 since it starred A-list K-drama stars Seo In Guk and Park Bo Young. But it experienced an unexpected flop in Korea, it started with a 4 viewership rating. Since then, it struggled to receive high ratings.
However, it gained popularity overseas and had a huge following from the international audience. "Doom at Your Service" is even named the most popular K-drama in the US.
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Shai Collins wrote this.
