"Descendants of the Sun" special programs beat regular shows

Even the special reruns of "Descendants of the Sun" surpassed other shows in viewership after the hit TV series crushed the Wednesday-Thursday night game for eight weeks, data showed Monday.

The special program, divided into three episodes, were aired from Wednesday to Friday and compiled highlights and behind-the-scenes of the show starring actor Song Joong-ki and actress Song Hye-kyo.

The first episode broadcast Wednesday was watched by 17.7 percent of the TV-watching population in South Korea, more than twice the second-most watched show in the same time slot, "Goodbye, Mr. Black," at 8.8 percent. The subsequent two airings fared worse but still recorded viewership above 10 percent.

The rest of the TV landscape remained much the same as the previous week, with KBS 2TV's "Five Children" dominating weekend nights. KBS 1TV's "My Home's Honey Jar" remained the uncontested No. 1 in the weekday night game.

KBS 2TV's "My Lawyer, Mr. Jo" stood out as the only Monday-Tuesday night series to command a double-digit viewership.

On the cable side, tvN's "Memory" and "Pied Piper" continued to dwindle at 2.8 percent and 1.6 percent, respectively.

(YONHAP)