At this point, Hallyu fans know better than anyone else that a good K-drama starting does not inherently imply praiseworthy finale results. Yoo Yeon Seok and Chae Soo Bin’s chemistry sailed worldwide, convincing viewers of their potential real-life love story under the covers. Both actors ultimately played their parts in denying relationship rumours, but they couldn’t do much to quell the deafening noise of massive backlash online.
When the Phone Rings finale debuted in the first week of January 2025. Even though the 12th episode rang in the series’ personal best average nationwide viewership ratings, fan reviews on X/Twitter, and rating marks on IMDb painted a different picture. While excessive criticism grew surrounding the finale’s controversial portrayal of “war-torn” nations, the MBC drama’s IMDb rating sunk to the floor immeasurably with a 2.6/10 rating. The failing streak was, however, not reflected in Yoo Yeon Seok’s booming popularity, which has also made waves in his Instagram followers account.
Yoo Yeon Seok maintains buzz rankings victory
On January 7, the Good Data Corporation’s buzzworthiness ranks were updated for the first week of the month. Following the previous week’s victory spell, Yoo consecutively triumphed atop the Top 10 performers’ list in drama and overall categories. Despite Squid Game Season 2’s star-studded ensemble cast making headlines for reasons beyond anyone’s control, no actor from the sequel stood tall as a worthy opponent for the When the Phone Rings male lead. Lee Jung Jae came close, but still pulled in at #3, trailing even behind The Tale of Lady Ok’s Lim Ji Yeon.
Meanwhile, Yoo’s co-star Chae Soo Bin closed out the Top 5 performers’ rankings. Only two other Squid Game Season 2 actors secured a spot on the Top 10 except Lee Jung Jae: former BIGBANG member T.O.P., aka Choi Seung Hyun (#8) and Lee Byung Hun (#10). Some other names also boasted their debuts on the performers’ chart thanks to brand-new K-drama premieres in the New Year.
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New K-dramas / Performers in Top 10 buzz rankings
SBS TV’s Love Scout has already garnered praise for flipping the restrictive gender roles K-dramas tend to lock their protagonists in. Lee Joon Hyuk steps in as a single father, playing assistant to Han Ji Min’s ambitious CEO character. The former instantly climbed high to secure his spot among the Top 10 performers of the week in 6th position, whereas his co-star followed at #7. Lee Min Ho was the final new entry on the actors’ buzz rankings this week thanks to his tvN’s When the Stars Gossip, Korea’s first-ever “space office drama.”
Squid Game Season 2 claimed the top spot on TV-OTT drama rankings. When the Phone Rings (MBC), The Tale of Lady Ok (JTBC), Love Scout (SBS) and When the Stars Gossip (tvN) occupied ranks #2 to #5, respectively.
January K-dramas brand reputation rankings
In a separate monthly survey recorded by the Korean Business Research Institute, the cumulative analysis of consumer participation, media coverage, interaction, community awareness, and viewership indexes ranked 16 popular dramas based on data collected from December 7 to January 7, 2025. According to brand reputation rankings, here are the top dramas of January 2025.
- Squid Game Season 2
- The Tale of Lady Ok
- The Fiery Priest 2
- Light Shop
- When the Phone Rings
- Iron Family
- Moving
- Cinderella Game
- Family Matters
- Who is She?
- Love Your Enemy
- My Merry Marriage
- Parole Examiner Lee
- Desperate Mrs Seonju
- Check-in Hanyang
- Brewing Love
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Top 10 Kdramas that generated the most buzz in Week 1 of January 2025
| TV-OTT | TV |
|---|---|
| 1. Squid Game Season 2 (Netflix) | 1. When the Phone Rings (MBC) |
| 2. When the Phone Rings (MBC) | 2. The Tale of Lady Ok (JTBC) |
| 3. The Tale of Lady Ok (JTBC) | 3. Love Scout (SBS) |
| 4. Love Scout (SBS) | 4. When the Stars Gossip (tvN) |
| 5. When the Stars Gossip (tvN) | 5. Check-In Hanyang (Channel A) |
| 6. Check-In Hanyang (Channel A) | 6. Who Is She! (KBS2) |
| 7. Who Is She! (KBS2) | 7. Iron Family (KBS2) |
| 8. Iron Family (KBS2) | 8. Cinderella Game (KBS2) |
| 9. Cinderella Game (KBS2) | 9. Namib (ENA) |
| 10. Light Shop (Disney+) | 10. My Merry Marriage (KBS1) |
Top 10 drama actors that generated the most buzz in Week 1 of January 2025
| Drama Actor | Drama |
|---|---|
| 1. Yoo Yeon Seok | When the Phone Rings |
| 2. Lim Ji Yeon | The Tale of Lady Ok |
| 3. Lee Jung Jae | Squid Game Season 2 |
| 4. Choo Young Woo | The Tale of Lady Ok |
| 5. Chae Soo Bin | When the Phone Rings |
| 6. Lee Joon Hyuk | Love Scout |
| 7. Han Ji Min | Love Scout |
| 8. Choi Seung Hyun | Squid Game Season 2 |
| 9. Lee Min Ho | When the Stars Gossip |
| 10. Lee Byung Hyun | Squid Game Season 2 |