Actress Kim Ji-won’s filmography is the envy of any actor her age. It boasts a spectacular lineup, including a mini-series with a 40% viewership rating and a super hit Korean Wave drama, but unfortunately, the number one hot topic was not Kim Ji-won. However, this ‘Queen of Tears’ is different. She was at her best since her debut, perfectly portraying the character of a third-generation Queens group tycoon.
Kim Ji-won, who debuted in the 2010 commercial ‘Lollipop’, appeared in the popular sitcom MBC’s ‘High Kick!’ the following year. She was selected as the lead actor in ‘Short Legs’ Counterattack’ and was almost completely unknown. Afterwards, famous works such as ‘The Heirs’ (2013), ‘Descendants of the Sun’ (2016), ‘Fight for My Way’ (2017), ‘Arthdal ​​Chronicles’ (2019), and ‘My Liberation Journal’ (2022) Appeared in succession.
However, ‘High Kick’ ended quietly with the lowest performance and topicality among the series, ‘The Heirs’ is the work that exploded in the popularity of the Korean Wave with Lee Min-ho and Park Shin-hye, and ‘Descendants of the Sun’ features Ki Seung-jeon, Song Joong-ki, Song Hye-kyo, ‘Fight, ‘My Way’ is a drama that solidified Park Seo-joon as the leading lead, and ‘My Liberation Journal’ two years ago is also remembered by many public as a work in which Son Seok-gu rose to the ranks of top stars thanks to the ‘Mr. Goo craze’. Of course, Kim Ji-won also received a lot of love, but it cannot be said that she enjoyed the full glory.Â
tvN’s ‘Queen of Tears’ was different from the beginning. Kim Ji-won is playing the role of Hong Hae-in, the managing director of Queens Group and the president of Queens Department Store. The setting is reminiscent of Korea’s largest conglomerates, Samsung Group and Hyundai Group, showing the ultimate in glamor and luxury, and at the center of it all is Kim Ji-won, who 200% portrays Hong Hae-in. Thanks to this, there is a lot to see from the beginning of the play.
Although her external appearance is that of a charismatic absolute monarch and the haughty and elegant queen of a chaebol family, her appearance is endlessly broken and fragile after learning of her fatal illness, and her delicate emotional acting shines. In this process, the romantic chemistry between Kim Ji-won and Kim Soo-hyun is also exploding.
The previous 10th episode recorded an average of 20.9%, a maximum of 22.7% for households in the metropolitan area, and an average of 19% for households nationwide. It broke its own highest viewer ratings for five consecutive weeks in both the metropolitan area and households across the country, ranking first in the same time slot on all channels, including terrestrial channels. There are only 2% left to surpass the record of ‘Crash Landing on You’, the highest viewership rating for tvN’s all-time dramas.Â
According to Good Data, Kim Ji-won is ranked first in the topical category of TV-OTT drama performers in various online announcements that surveyed netizens’ reactions, and was selected as a model for a soju advertisement that only the best female stars of the time do. In addition to this, she also announced that she had signed a contract to become a model for a large insurance company during the airing of the drama.Â
Recently, while the candidates for the 60th Baeksang Arts Awards were announced, fans were disappointed that Kim Ji-won was excluded from the Best Female Award nomination in the TV category. This is also a reaction that reflects Kim Ji-won’s increased status and popularity, which is directly proportional to the viewership ratings of her drama.