Korean drama “Jirisan,” starring Jun Ji-hyun and Ju Ji-hoon, aired its 16th and last episode on Dec. 12 on top of the ratings.
The finale of the drama, which aired on tvN in Korea and iQiyi globally, garnered a nationwide rating of 9.225 percent (with a peak rating of 10.6 percent) in South Korea to place first among cable TV shows, which include paid platforms, according to Nielsen Korea.
In the Seoul metropolitan area, “Jirisan” received a rating of 10.114 percent (with a peak of 11.5 percent) and ended in first place.
Among the tvN target 20-49 years old male and female audience, “Jirisan” got 4.6 percent (with a peak of 5.7 percent) nationwide, and 4.4 percent (with a peak rating of 5.4 percent) in the Seoul metropolitan area.
“Jirisan” premiered at No. 1 on Oct. 23 with a nationwide rating of 9.097 percent. During its entire run, “Jirisan” placed first in the ratings.
It garnered the highest nationwide rating of 10.663 percent for the second episode and lowest of 7.562 percent for episode 11. The 16-episode drama had an average nationwide rating of 8.4 percent.
About “Jirisan,” Jun Ji-hyun said, “We spent a long journey together, from the green appearance of Mount Jirisan to the scene of leaves falling after the middle of winter. It was a hard and fun time, and I made a lot of memories."
"I want to express my gratitude to many staff and viewers. I think it will be a work that will be memorable for a long time," she added.
Ju Ji-hoon also expressed his thoughts on the end of “Jirisan.” He said, "It's been a year and a half since I've been with ‘Jirisan,’ including the preparation period. As I've been running for a long time, I thought it would be cool when it was over. But I feel sad. It is bittersweet.”
"Thank you for loving and cherishing ‘Jirisan.’ I will probably greet you with a movie in the near future,” he said.