Here is the list of K-drama with the highest rating on public TV and cable.
How Is Your Husband? (1993) – Highest Rating 48.2% Cinderella – Highest Rating 48% All In (2003) – Highest Rating 47.7% Seoyoung, My Daughter (2012) – Highest Rating 47.6% My Only One (2019) – 48.9% Highest Rating Bread, Love, and Dreams (2010) – Highest Rating 50.8% Wang’s Family (2014) – Highest Rating 50.3% Moon Embracing the Sun (2012) – Highest Rating 42.2% Descendants of the Sun (2016) – Highest Rating 38.8% The Slave Hunters (2010) – Highest Rating 35.9% Sky Castle (2019) – 23.779% Reply 1988 (2016) – Highest Rating 18.803% Goblin (2017) – Highest Rating 18.680% Mr. Sunshine (2018) – 18.129% 100 Days My Prince (2018) – Highest Rating 15.1% The World of the Married (2020) – Highest Rating 28.4% Crash Landing on You (2019–2020) – Highest Rating 21.7% Itaewon Class (2020) – Highest Rating 16.5% Signal (2016) – Highest Rating 12.5% The Lady in Dignity (2017) – Highest Rating 12% Reply 1994 (2013) – Highest Rating 11.5% Prison Playbook (2017) – Highest Rating 11.1% The Crowded Clown (2019) – Highest Rating 10.8%
In this article, Channel-Korea will introduce you to the Korean dramas with the highest rating of all time!
Highest-Rated Korean Dramas in the 2010s in Public Broadcast
And here are some of the highest-rated dramas from public broadcasts in the 2010s!
My Only One (2019) – Highest Rating 48.9%
General Information
Title: My Only One Genre: Family, Drama Episodes: 106 Network: KBS2
Cast
Choi Soo-jong Uee Lee Jang-woo Yoon Jin-yi
My Only One was the highest-rated, it hit 48,9% viewership! With a lot of episodes, My Only One still successfully gained the highest rating of all time! The series told a story about Kim Do-ran (played by Uee). She was a cheerful woman, but, unfortunately, her fate wasn’t as cheerful as her personality. She was involved in financial problems and had to work harder to reach her dream to be a politician. Not only that, but Kim Do-ran also had to accept the truth that her parents weren’t her real parents, and she lived in an environment where the people within it were killers. The struggle in Kim Do-ran’s life drew attention from the viewers, which is why it was so highly rated.
Bread, Love, and Dreams (2010) – Highest Rating 50.8%
General Information
Title: Bread, Love, and Dreams Genre: Romance, Melodrama Episodes: 30 Network: KBS2
Cast
Yoon Shi-yoon Eugene Joo Won Lee Young-ah Jun Kwang-ryul
Bread, Love, and Dreams was released in 2010, and became one of the highest-rated dramas from public broadcast in the 2010s! Since the first episodes, the drama’s viewership increased until it reached 50.8% at its peak! Its average rating was still a very respectable 38.6%! Bread, Love, and Dreams was about Kim Tak-goo (played by Yoon Shi-yoon), he was the illegitimate child of Samhwa Entertainment’s president and an ordinary woman. Luckily, he became one of his father’s heirs due to his good ability in making bread. The conflict came when his stepbrother and his stepmother wanted to seize Kim Tak-goo’s right as an heir. Kim Tak-goo didn’t give up, he was struggling to build up his career and dreamed of being the number 1 bread king, going from being a zero to being a hero. Not only that, but Kim Tak-goo was also involved in a love conflict between his first love and a woman who was always on his side and supported him. The struggle of Kim Tak-goo’s life was the most compelling thing about the drama, but the betrayal and family relationships were very relatable and pulled viewers in. No wonder Bread, Love, and Dreams also received such high ratings.
Wang’s Family (2014) – Highest Rating 50.3%
General Information
Title: Wang’s Family Genre: Romance, Family, Comedy Episodes: 50 Network: KBS2
Cast
Oh Hyun-kyung Lee Tae-ran Lee Yoon-ji Jo Sung-ha Oh Man-seok
Wang’s Family had a substantial viewership, since the drama received the highest rating overall, averaging 34.3% on any given episode! Ratings for some of the episodes rated as high as 50,3%! Wang’s Family was a story about… Wang’s Family, all the members of which were struggling with their own problems. The oldest child was married into a rich family but ended up being poor. The second child had her own financial problems because her husband was jobless, and the third child had an obsession to be a writer. The story-line was related to the values of Korean society, which is why so many people loved the show. It was full of situations that were highly relatable.
Moon Embracing the Sun (2012) – Highest Rating 42.2%
General Information
Title: Moon Embracing the Sun Genre: Romance & Historical Episodes: 20 Network: MBC
Cast
Kim Soo-hyun Han Ga-in
The Moon that Embraces the Sun received a rating of 18.0 percent on its premiere episode. The rating continued to increase until it reached 31.7 percent in the eighth episode. Historical drama is indeed one of the drama genres idolized by Korean society, especially because this drama has a unique storyline. The Moon that Embraces the Sun finally ended on episode 20 with a rating of 42.2 percent. This drama tells the story of a secret love between Lee Hwon (Kim Soo Hyun) and a daughter from the noble family Heo Yeon Woo (Han Ga In). As a child, Queen Mother Yeon Woo plans to kill her to replace Yeon Woo as queen. But thanks to the power of magic, she was able to escape that evil intention even though she had to lose her memory. Eight years later Yeon Woo returns to her homeland under the name Wol, and everyone still remembers her. She was also involved in an affair with a king named Lee Hwon (Kim Soo Hyun).
Descendants of the Sun (2016) – Highest Rating 38.8%
General Information
Title: Descendants of the Sun Genre: Action, Melodrama, Romance Episodes: 16 Network: KBS2
Cast
Song Joong-ki Song Hye-kyo
Descendants of the Sun is the first drama since 2012 to reach 30 percent ratings. In the first episode, this drama aired with a rating of 14.3 percent by AGB Nielsen’s version. In the third episode, the drama’s rating immediately soared to 23.4 percent. In episode nine, the drama’s rating went through to 30.4 percent and 31.6 percent in episode 10. It obtained a peak rating of 38.8 percent. Descendants of the Sun is a melodrama genre drama that tells the love story of Captain Yoo Shi Jin (Song Joong Ki), a soldier in the UN peacekeeping force and a doctor named Kang Moo Yeon (Song Hye Gyo). Yoo Shi Jin seems to harbor feelings of love for Kang Moo Yeon but his duty as a soldier, makes him obliged to serve in the military in a war zone on the Balkan Peninsula.
The Slave Hunters (2010) – Highest Rating 35.9%
General Information
Title: The Slave Hunters Genre: Action, Historical Episodes: 24 Network: KBS2
Cast
Jang Hyuk Lee Da-hae Oh Ji-ho Lee Jong-hyeok
The Slave Hunter tells the story of a young noble, played by Jang Hyuk, whose love for his family’s slave sister turns his life into a tragedy. He then lived on the streets for 10 years while carving his name as a slave hunter and looking for the woman he loved. Then finally, he is hired to track down a runaway general, played by Oh Ji-ho, who is wrongly accused and framed. The hunt begins, and he finally finds the general, who happens to be romantically involved with the woman he has been looking for. The drama was very successful in the market, having consistent peak ratings for seven weeks, with an average rating of 31.7%, and peaking at 35.9%. The drama’s success led to lead actor Jang Hyuk being nominated for Best Actor at the 2011 International Emmy Awards for his performance. Below are some of the other highest-rated dramas from public broadcast in the 2010s:
How Is Your Husband? (48.2%) Cinderella (48%) All In (47.7%) Seoyoung, My Daughter (47.6%)
