“Hospital Playlist 2” premiered in South Korea on June 17 with solid ratings on cable channel tVN, higher than the first episode of its original run.

According to Nielsen Korea, the first episode of “Hospital Playlist 2” garnered a nationwide rating of 10 percent and grabbed the No. 1 spot with 2.62 million viewers.

This is higher than the 6.32 percent rating for the first episode of the first season of “Hospital Playlist” on March 12, 2020.

“Hospital Playlist 2” also received a first-place rating of 11.73 percent in the metropolitan area, up from 7.11 percent for the first episode of season 1.

In the second season, stars reprise their roles as doctors at Yulje Medical Center: Jo Jung-suk as Lee Ik-jun, Yoon Yeon-seok as Ahn Jeong-won, Jung Kyung-ho as Kim Jun-wan, Kim Dae-myung as Yang Seok-hyeong and Jeon Mi-do as Chae Song-hwa.

"Hospital Playlist 2" director Shin Won-ho said, "We live under social distancing guidelines and hide our facial expressions with masks. We live a very different life (compared with before the pandemic). I hope this drama reminds us of the way we used to live," according to Yonhap News.

Shin Won-ho also directed the successful “Reply” series: “Reply 1997,” “Reply 1994” and “Reply 1988.”

For "Hospital Playlist 2,” he said, "Instead of doing what we wanted to do, we focused on what people wanted to see. In addition to the fundamentals of the show, like its ambience, message and warmth, we put in new stories and tried to make the series more deep."

"A year has actually passed. The main characters have aged and they have gone through life's changes during that time span. The same amount of time has passed for viewers as well. (I) hope this will add depth," he added.

Just like the first season, "Hospital Playlist 2” will have 12 episodes with one episode aired per week instead of the common format of two episodes per week.

"It's hard to say we didn't think about making more episodes. But at the same time, we thought a new model is necessary at a time when production circumstances are becoming tougher, labor circumstances are changing and costs are rising. (I) also felt that a new format would help us think differently," the director said.

Regarding a third season of “Hospital Playlist,” he said, "It was our first try at producing a seasonal TV show. There were many advantages, but at the same time there were many unexpected outcomes. I told the cast that they should not feel obliged to film a third season. We don't have concrete plans for the next season yet."

"Hospital Playlist 2” is also aired on Netflix.