‘Defendant’ viewership soars above 25 pct in Seoul area

SEOUL, Feb. 15 (Yonhap) — SBS TV’s mystery crime thriller “Defendant” further emboldened its lead in the Monday-Tuesday drama race, with the show’s rating rising above 25 percent among Seoul households, data showed Wednesday.

Tuesday night’s eighth episode of “Defendant” recorded 25.2 percent viewership in Seoul, according to Nielsen Korea. The show’s overall national rating rose to 22.2 percent.

Rival shows “Rebel: A Thief Who Stole The People” and “Hwarang” both lost ground from a day before, falling to 10.6 percent and 7.7 percent, respectively.

In “Defendant,” actor Ji Sung takes on the role of Park Jung-woo, a former prosecutor with partial memory loss who is framed for murdering his family and now a death row prisoner.

The 16-episode series, directed by Cho Young-kwang and penned by Choi Soo-jin, has mesmerized TV viewers from the start, with its premiere garnering 14.5 percent viewership nationwide.

In the series, Park does not remember how he ended up in prison and tries to unravel a conspiracy in the face of mounting odds. Um Ki-joon plays the main antagonist, a psychopath who kills his twin CEO brother and assumes his family and life, and Yuri of idol group Girls’ Generation plays Park’s tough-as-nails public defender.

In the latest broadcast, the plot traveled deeper into Park’s past that was erased from his memory, revealing a surprise development as to how he got in the impossible situation in the first place.

Thanks to Ji’s strong performance and a good, twist-filled plot, the show is expected to gain more viewers during its remaining run.