| Posters for the JTBC show "Itaewon Class"/ Courtesy of JTBC |
By Lee Gyu-lee
JTBC's hit TV series "Itaewon Class" has ended the two-month run with its highest viewership rating at 16.5 percent on Saturday.
The show, which started with a 5 percent rating on Jan. 31, soon became one of the most popular, with interesting story development and colorful performances. By its fifth episode, its rating had surpassed 10 percent.
"I was grateful to work for 'Itaewon Class,' which allowed me to look back on myself and look to my future," lead actor Park Seo-joon said through his agency Awesome Ent Sunday. "I hope this show gave you the same opportunity and I thank everyone for watching."
Based on the webcomics of the same name, the drama adaptation came after the original story was a huge hit online, garnering 14 million subscribers on Daum, a Korean web portal.
| Behind-the-scene stills of the drama/ Courtesy of JTBC |
Writer Cho Kwang-jin, also the creator of the webcomics, said he modified the original script to make it even more interesting.
"The strength of this drama is that I had an idea of what the viewers would like to see after reading the comments for my webcomics," he said during a press conference in January.
The story revolved around Park Sae-ro-yi, whose life changes profoundly after he is expelled from school for punching a bully, the son of major food company owner Jang Dae-hee. Following the death of his father, Park opens a restaurant to compete with the company on the popular Itaewon street.
The series is also available on Netflix.