"Special Labor Inspector, Mr. Jo" Rises In Ratings + "The Secret Life Of My Secretary" Premieres With Good Start

May 07, 2019

With “Haechi” at an end, there has been a change in drama viewership ratings.

MBC’s Monday-Tuesday drama “Special Labor Inspector, Mr. Jo” has taken over the No. 1 spot in its time slot. According to Nielsen Korea on May 6, Episodes 17 and 18 received viewership ratings of 6.7 percent and 7.7 percent respectively.

It achieved the highest viewership ratings among dramas in its time slot and slightly increased from Episode 16’s ratings of 6.7 percent on April 30.

KBS’s “My Fellow Citizens” recorded viewership ratings of 4.5 percent for Episode 20 and 6.2 percent for Episode 21, while JTBC’s “Welcome to Waikiki 2” got 1.32 percent in ratings. (Ratings on cable channels are calculated slightly differently from public broadcast networks.)

“The Secret Life of My Secretary” also premiered on the same day and recorded 3.2 percent for Episode 1 and 3.6 percent for Episode 2. Viewers are already wondering if the drama will be able to achieve the same success as “Haechi,” the previous drama in its time slot.

Spoilers

From the beginning, “The Secret Life of My Secretary” showed a quarrelsome chemistry between the two main actors Kim Young Kwang and Jin Ki Joo. Kim Young Kwang attracted attention with his cool eyes and sharp mind-reading charm. On the other hand, Jin Ki Joo portrayed her struggling life as Kim Young Kwang’s secretary.

Kim Young Kwang suddenly declared the cancellation of his contract with Jin Ki Joo. His iron rule of not signing a contract with his secretaries for more than a year was revealed, prompting people to wonder what happened in his past. Jin Ki Joo, who struggled to become a full-time employee, became infuriated by his decision and went to get payback with a group of secretaries.

In particular, the scene where Kim Young Kwang was attacked suddenly and had trouble with facial recognition boosted viewers’ immersion. The drama ended with Kim Young Kwang being taken to the hospital where he clung onto Jin Ki Joo and begged her to save him.