Joo Won’s ‘Stealer: The Treasure Keeper’ Broadcast Gets Suspended— Here’s Why

Joo Won recently returned with the action comedy series "Stealer: The Treasure Keeper," showcasing his gravity-defying stunts and acting prowess.

Unfortunately, his fans' excitement was cut short after tvN announced the drama's suspension after two weeks since its television premiere. Here's what happened.

Joo Won's 'Stealer: The Treasure Keeper' Gets Suspended

On April 25, broadcast network tvN relayed bad news to the public regarding the broadcast of Joo Won's "Stealer: The Treasure Keeper."

The spy action comedy series premiered earlier this month, and has released four episodes at the time of this writing. Joo Won's drama was one of the most highly anticipated works of 2023, and it also enjoyed great reception during its release.

"Stealer: The Treasure Keeper" received an average rating of 5% nationwide with its pilot episode but sadly, it gradually declined a bit as it progressed.

As a result, tvN announces its broadcast suspension as the plummeting ratings don't only affect the program but also the network's parent company CJ ENM's deteriorating financial condition after it was acquired by an American production studio.

READ MORE: 'Stealer: The Treasure Keeper' Episode 1-2: Joo Won Transforms Into Undercover Thief

A representative from tvN stated, "The network will abolish the Wednesday and Thursday dramas with low ratings completely as deliberately discussed by the company after observation."

If the quota is not met, the broadcast network will go bankrupt without seeing the light of day. In particular, many cable channels including ENA and OCN decided to suspend dramas that take the Wednesday and Thursday time slots, and rather focus on weekend series instead.

In particular, tvN has produced top notch Wednesday and Thursday dramas that enjoyed international success like "Prison Playbook," "What's Wrong With Secretary Kim?" and "Yumi's Cells."

Fans Demand To Air Remaining Episodes of 'Stealer: The Treasure Keeper'

Amidst the suspension announcement, fans expressed their disappointment and anger towards the television network.

According to the reports, many dramas have been organized and started production as Wednesday and Thursday dramas under tvN.

While the abolishment of the time slot may help the fundings recover, many dramas, artists and crews will be affected by the decision, especially that tvN listed about 80 series that weren't released in the past year.

ALSO READ: Who Is Joo Won? 5 Things You Should Know About 'Stealer: The Treasure Keeper' Star

However, tvN hinted that they would reconsider organizing Monday and Tuesday works if the performer is replaced with a top star.

Fans were enraged by this decision, saying that top stars don't equal greatness as an actor. One fan commented, "They should focus on well-written plots and acting, not popularity."

Many fans of "Stealer: The Treasure Keeper" also demanded for the release of the remaining episodes of the work. However, the decision whether they will release the succeeding episodes is undecided.

KDramaStars owns this article.

Written by Elijah Mully.