SBS drama 'Kim Bu-jang' hits 21.6% in episode 4, third-highest in Friday-Saturday slot history

Kim Bu-jang reached 21.6% nationwide viewership in its fourth episode on July 4, per Nielsen Korea. The Seoul metropolitan area posted 22.7%, with a peak-minute rating of 25.1%.

The climb was steep. Episode 1 opened at 9.5%. Episode 2 jumped to 15.7%. Episode 3 hit 18.8%. By episode 4, it had cleared 20%. That four-episode sprint to the 20% mark is the fastest any SBS Friday-Saturday drama has achieved, placing Kim Bu-jang third all-time in the slot behind Penthouse 2 (29.2%) and Priest (22%). It is also the first SBS Friday-Saturday drama to cross 20% nationwide since 2024.

The 10-episode series follows an ordinary father who reactivates his combat past to get his daughter back. It adapts a popular Naver Webtoon and serves as an official spin-off sharing a universe with Lookism (외모지상주의), Fight Class (싸움독학), and Survival of Life (인생존망). The source webtoon is still ongoing.

So Ji-seop leads as Kim Bu-jang. The cast includes Ju Sang-wook as villain Ju Gang-chan, Lee Dong-ha as Nam Sil-jang, Choi Dae-hoon as Seong Han-su, Yoon Kyung-ho as Park Jin-chul, Ok Taecyeon as codename-66 Park Young-gwang, Kim Sung-kyu as Park Gang-seong, Son Na-eun as Jeong Sang-a, Seo Su-min as daughter Minji, and Park Jin-woo as the laundromat owner.

With three weeks until the finale, Season 2 talk has already begun. SBS said no official discussions have taken place but acknowledged the show is structured in a way that could support a season format.

Yoon Kyung-ho pledged at the production press conference that he would do 13 hours of silent meditation if ratings cleared 13%. They did—by a wide margin. He confirmed he will follow through, with the event scheduled for July 13.

Fantasio chairman Nam Gung-gyeon said the company will "continuously secure its own IP across diverse genres and actively invest in high-quality content production to strengthen business competitiveness."

(The gold-tooth incident and the Kim Min-ji survival twist are apparently the plot beats driving the most conversation right now.)