'Queen of Tears' garners popularity on global, domestic stage

As South Korean romance drama series "Queen of Tears" continues to receive critical acclaim, the show has recorded high viewership ratings and ranked high on the charts of global streaming platforms, according to entertainment giant CJ ENM, Thursday.

Written by star screenwriter Park Ji-eun, who wrote the scripts for a slew of hit Korean romance dramas such as "My Love from the Star" and "Crash Landing on You," "Queen of Tears" stars Kim Ji-won and Kim Su-hyun, who play a couple who have hit a rough patch three years into their marriage.

In the series, Kim Ji-won plays Hong Hae-in, the eldest daughter of a large conglomerate owner, while Kim Su-hyun plays Baek Hyun-woo, the son of the owner of a countryside supermarket.

According to the weekly views-based Netflix's global top 10 list in the TV Non-English category, "Queen of Tears" ranked third on the list during the March 11-17 period, climbing four spots compared to the week before. The first episode of "Queen of Tears" aired on March 9.

The drama series also topped the list for Netflix Japan's top 10 TV show on March 11, according to the US-based streaming analytics firm FlixPatrol. On Filmarks, Japan's largest content review website, the drama series is rated at 4.3 out of 5, riding high on the cast's performance in the series and the Japanese audience's confidence in screenwriter Park's storytelling.

According to Korea Creative Content Agency's report on K-content's performance overseas released in 2023, Park's former work "Crash Landing on You" was picked as one of the most frequently watched Korean drama series by Japanese audiences, together with "Winter Sonata."

"'Queen of Tears' was drawing attention from Japanese viewers even before being broadcast, as it is the latest work done by writer Park Ji-eun, who wrote 'Crash Landing on You,'" said an official from CJ ENM via a press release.

"Queen of Tears," which aired its fourth episode on tvN on Sunday, also achieved an average viewership rating of 13 percent nationwide.

According to FUNdex, the official platform of a specialized organization that assesses the competitiveness of K-content called Good Data Corporation, "Queen of Tears" has topped the list for popularity rankings for television and streaming service drama series for two consecutive weeks, starting from the first week of March.