'26.9%' Will the myth be rewritten again… First episode breaks 3% → eye-catching dopamine-driven developments, a Korean drama ('New Recruit Kang Ho-jang')
JTBC's new Saturday-Sunday drama 'The New Employee, Chairman Kang' drew viewers' attention from its very first week on air, marking a smooth start.
The work, which puts forward strong elements such as a chaebol family's succession battle, a hit-and-run accident, evidence tampering, and a soul swap, recorded ratings in the 3% range from its first broadcast and then surpassed the 5% range in its second episode, showing an upward trend. In particular, it drew high attention even before airing because it was based on the web novel of the same name by writer Sang-gyeong, the original author of 'Reborn Rich.'
▲Episode 1 at 3.7%→Episode 2 at 5.2%... JTBC's new series gains momentum
Episode 1 of 'The New Employee, Chairman Kang,' which premiered on the 31st of last month, recorded 3.7% nationwide and 3.8% in the Seoul metropolitan area based on Nielsen Korea's paid households. It was regarded as a stable start for a new drama. In particular, it quickly introduced the main characters and conflict structure in the first episode, drawing viewers in.
The story began with Kang Yong-ho (Son Hyun-joo), chairman of Cheoseong Group, announcing his intention to retire. He, who had grown the company from a top-20 conglomerate into a top-10 group, instructed his daughter Kang Jae-gyeong (Kim Hye-jin) and son Kang Jae-seong (Jin Goo) to compete for succession. With the condition that they produce results convincing the board within a month, the full-scale succession war began.
The children secretly secured the vehicle to figure out their father's intentions, and while checking the black box, they caused an accident. The victim was Hwang Jun-hyeon (Lee Jun-young), a promising soccer player who was about to join Cheoseong FC. After witnessing the accident, he traced the identity of the hit-and-run vehicle and eventually met Kang Yong-ho. However, Kang Yong-ho tried to settle the matter by offering 5 billion won in compensation and a blank check. In this process, the raw face of the chaebol family and its power structure were exposed, adding tension to the drama's development.
▲A chairman whose soul has changed, re-enters as a new employee... a bold plot that catches the eye
At the end of the first episode, the work's core premise appeared. As Kang Yong-ho stated his intention to exclude them from the succession structure, Kang Jae-gyeong and Kang Jae-seong tried to stop him, and Kang Yong-ho fell after a physical struggle. At that moment, a collision occurred with Hwang Jun-hyeon, and the two souls were swapped.
The subsequent development accelerated further. Kang Yong-ho, who woke up in the hospital, confirmed that he was inside Hwang Jun-hyeon's body. Meanwhile, Hwang Jun-hyeon's soul remained in Kang Yong-ho's body and lost consciousness. A man who had ruled as chairman was now forced to live in the body of a man in his 20s overnight.
In particular, Episode 2 fully unfolded this setup. Nationwide ratings reached 5.2%, up 1.5 percentage points from the previous episode. Kang Yong-ho was shocked by the attitude of his children, who pinned responsibility for the hit-and-run accident on him. The two siblings avoided responsibility by claiming that even all the past scandals had been ordered by their father.
In the end, he appeared directly at Cheoseong Group's emergency press conference. Kang Yong-ho, in Hwang Jun-hyeon's appearance, declared that the hit-and-run perpetrator was indeed Chairman Kang Yong-ho, and that his children and the group had nothing to do with it. It was a choice to protect the company even if he had to give up his own honor.
▲Succession war ignites in earnest... an intern who aims for the chairman's seat
The children's actions did not stop there. Kang Yong-ho was shocked to witness moves to eliminate him. At the same time, he also came to feel guilty about the responsibility for ruining Hwang Jun-hyeon's life.
The blank check found inside Hwang Jun-hyeon's clothes, with the phrase "Please take Cheoseong" written on it, became a turning point that changed Kang Yong-ho's thinking. He resolved to compensate by handing Cheoseong Group over to Hwang Jun-hyeon.
Afterward, Kang Yong-ho, using Hwang Jun-hyeon's identity, demanded an internship position at Cheoseong Group. Becoming an intern in Team 2 of Cheoseong Materials, he joined forces with his longtime close aide Lee Sang-jae (Kim Jong-tae) and launched a counterattack. During the intern PT, he mentioned Kang Jae-seong's slush fund issue, and at the presidents' meeting, Lee Sang-jae revealed a letter in Kang Yong-ho's name. The document contained the content abolishing bloodline-based succession.
Hwang Jun-hyeon, who appeared in the conference room, declared, "Then do I have the qualifications too? The qualifications to become chairman of Cheoseong Group." It was the moment when the succession battle moved beyond a simple sibling rivalry and entered a new phase with a third figure joining in.
'The New Employee, Chairman Kang' shares the same original universe by writer Sang-gyeong as 'Reborn Rich.' However, unlike the previous work, which was a regression story, it attempts to differentiate itself by using the device of a soul swap. The acting chemistry of Son Hyun-joo and Lee Jun-young, who are close to playing two roles in one, as well as the combination of internal power struggles within a chaebol family and a story of organizational survival, are also cited as viewing points. Interest is growing in whether it can continue the box-office success lineage of 'Reborn Rich,' which recorded a peak viewership rating of 26.9%.
JTBC's 'The New Employee, Chairman Kang' will air on the 6th at 10:40 PM.
Reporter Heo Jang-won / Photo = JTBC 'The New Employee, Chairman Kang'
This article was translated and republished by KOTourLive from TV리포트. Copyright of the original belongs to the publisher. View original
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