KBS' divorce drama Once Again continues to enjoy strong support from weekend viewers and broke the 30 percent rating mark for its Sunday broadcast.
According to data from Nielsen Korea, the last two episodes of Once Again scored an average rating of 25.1 percent and 30.2 percent for its two parts. This was even higher than last week's 29.9 percent rating, Soompi reported.
The hit drama which topbills Lee Sang Yeob and Lee Min Jung revolve around a couple who go through a divorce that shakes up their families and sets them off to find their happiness. The drama, which is set to release 100 episodes in total, airs every Saturday and Sunday at 7:55 pm KST.
While Once Again is soaring high in the ratings, it also recently became the subject of controversy when viewers launched a petition against its sexualized portrayal of women in Episodes 13 and 14 where three female characters open up a gimbap shop after quitting their jobs but were shown wearing revealing miniskirts and high heels that cause a spike in their sales.
Netizens complained about the implication presented by the show as Once Again also used signage that featured silhouettes of sexy women for the gimbap store. Some emphasized its similarities to illegal adult entertainment establishments, SCMP reported.
The complaint which one of the fans submitted to the presidential office website, criticized the show for objectifying women, saying that some of the viewers were uncomfortable to watch the show with their families because it presented women in a sexist light.
"The drama includes so many scenes objectifying women. Women from the sex industry open a gimbap restaurant and promote it as if they are seducing customers at a bar ... who does that in a gimbap restaurant? It is an unnecessary objectification of female characters. And how can this kind of scene be aired at 8 pm on weekends when all family members can watch?" the complaint read.
KBS and Once Again's bulletin boards were likewise flooded with negative comments.
"We regret having caused inconveniences in the episode which aired on Saturday. We will be more careful not to cause such trouble in the future. Including rebroadcasts and replays, the episode will be replaced with a newly edited one," producers said in a public apology.
The World of the Married, another divorce drama aired by JTBC was also the subject of recent complaints because of the excessive portrayal of violence.
