The “Coffee Prince” special that reunited the cast of the hit 2007 Korean drama recorded the highest rating to date for the TV documentary series.
Korean TV channel MBC’s weekly “Docu Flex” started airing on Sept. 3 and has featured documentaries on various topics.
“Coffee Prince” stars Gong Yoo and Yoon Eun-hye together with Kim Dong-wook, Lee Sun-gyun, Kim Jae-wook and Chae Jung-an have reunited for the TV documentary.
The first episode of the “Coffee Prince” documentary aired on Sept. 24 and it garnered Nielsen Korea nationwide ratings of 2.6 percent and 3 percent for the first and second parts, respectively.
These are the highest ratings that “Docu Flex” has received among its episodes. The documentary on the life of the late K-pop star Sulli, former member of the group f(x), last Sept. 10 had nationwide ratings of 2.6 percent and 2.5 percent for the two parts.
An episode of a Korean drama or entertainment TV program is split into two parts during airing to allow channels to air TV ads.
The drama had 17 episodes when it aired in South Korea from July to August 2007 and recorded its highest rating of 27.8 percent for its final episode. “Coffee Prince” is one of the Korean dramas credited for popularizing Hallyu, or Korean Wave, in Asia.
For the first episode of “Coffee Prince” documentary, Gong Yoo, who played the role of Choi Han-kyul in the drama, is seen arriving at the coffee shop in Hongdae area in Seoul, which served as the main set and the coffee shop in the drama.
Yoon Eun-hye, who essayed the role of Go Eun-chan, arrived later, surprising Gong Yoo. The two recalled scenes in “Coffee Prince” including their kissing scenes.
The two stars asked each other why they are still single. Yoo Eun-hye said, "Because I want to work hard and develop further", to which Gong Yoo replied, "Like Eun-chan, right? Eun-chan left me to study abroad," according to JTBC Plus.
During the show, the two watched scenes in the drama and Gong Yoo said that "being able to watch 'Coffee Prince' with Yoon Eun-hye makes me feel like a married couple viewing a wedding album after years."
"Perhaps 'Coffee Prince' fans all hope that Han Gyul and Eun Chan have been living happily somewhere." the two commented.
Gong Yoo revealed that he rejected the “Coffee Prince” TV project many times before accepting it. “Coffee Prince” was his last drama project before enlisting in the military in January 2008.
Yoon Eun-hye said “Coffee Prince” helped in erasing her label “former singer.” She made her debut in the entertainment industry as a member of the girl group Baby Vox, which disbanded in 2006. Part 2 of the "Coffee Prince" documentary will air on Oct. 1 on MBC.