Korean actor Song Joong-ki’s new Korean drama “Vincenzo” is off to a good start, premiering at No. 1 in the ratings.

According to Nielsen Korea, the first episode of “Vincenzo” on tvN on Feb. 20 got a nationwide rating of 7.65 percent to place first among cable TV shows.

This became the third highest first-episode rating for Saturday-Sunday dramas on tvN after “Mr. Sunshine” (8.852 percent on July 7, 2018) and “Mr. Queen” (8.03 percent on Dec. 12, 2020). In the metropolitan area, “Vincenzo” got 8.72 percent (first place).

In the drama, which also aired on Netflix, Song Joong-ki plays the role of Vincenzo Cassano, an Italian lawyer and adviser to a mafia organization, who was born in South Korea and adopted by an Italian family. He returns to South Korea after a conflict occurs in the organization. It also stars 2PM’s Taecyeon and actress Jeon Yeo-bin.

This is Song Joong-ki’s comeback drama after "Arthdal Chronicles" in 2019 and he said he was thrilled when he read the script of “Vincenzo.”

"When I first read a short summary of 'Vincenzo,' I sympathized with the screenwriter's caustic point of view. It was interesting and fresh that the powerful lose to the more powerful, who are not always good," he said during a press conference for the drama on Feb. 14, Yonhap News reported.

He rose to fame through the 2016 drama "Descendants of the Sun" and he presents a different role in “Vincenzo.”

"I know that I have many different personalities that my fans can't see. I've been trying to find my wicked, severe or sharp dispositions and present those parts through Vincenzo," he said.

About his character, he said, “He has lived in Italy for most of his life. But he is a foreigner in his motherland. It's pathetic and touching, but we are pleased with his heroic actions."

Last Feb. 5, Song Joong-ki’s movie “Space Sweepers” was released on Netflix.