Perfect Crown is heading into its final week with stronger momentum than ever, continuing to dominate weekend ratings in South Korea.
According to Nielsen Korea, the MBC romance drama achieved its highest viewership ratings yet on May 9, recording an average nationwide rating of 13.3 percent. With that result, Perfect Crown became the most-watched program of any genre airing on Saturday night.
Set in an alternate modern constitutional monarchy, the drama stars IU and Byeon Woo Seok, and has steadily built strong public buzz throughout its run. As the story approaches its finale, recent episodes focusing on political scandal, royal divorce tensions, and emotional conflict between Seong Hui Ju and Grand Prince Ian have significantly increased viewer engagement.
Despite competing directly against the ratings powerhouse, SBS’s newly launched drama My Royal Nemesis still managed to rise for its second episode, earning a nationwide average rating of 5.4 percent. While still far behind Perfect Crown, the steady increase suggests the series is gradually building its own audience.
Meanwhile, in the cable drama category, Filing for Love continued showing strong upward momentum. The tvN romantic comedy achieved its highest Saturday ratings so far, recording a nationwide average of 5.9 percent. The series also ranked first in its time slot among all cable channels.
Starring Shin Hae Sun and Gong Myoung, Filing for Love has recently gained attention for the increasingly tense emotional dynamic between its two leads following their unexpected first kiss storyline.
At the same time, JTBC’s We Are All Trying Here also recorded its highest Saturday ratings yet as the series entered the second half of its broadcast. The drama achieved a nationwide average of 2.6 percent for the evening.
With Perfect Crown now approaching its finale at peak popularity, industry watchers are closely observing whether the drama can continue climbing ratings during its final week and potentially end its run as one of MBC’s biggest romance hits in recent years.
