Michelle Topham 
When it comes to Korean dramas airing on Saturday and Sunday over the last few months, not one has been able to knock the Uee-led drama Live Your Own Life off its #1 perch.
That #1 rating for Live Your Own Life began when Episode 1 premiered on September 16th.
It hasn’t stopped up, even until yesterday with Live Your Own Life, Episode 30 still the #1 most-watched show in South Korea last night.
According to the latest numbers from Nielsen Korea, Episode 30 of the Saturday/Sunday K-drama earned 17.5 percent of the audience share.
That is a similarly high rating to what the drama has been earning since Episode 23, although the show’s ratings were not much lower before that.
With 20 episodes of the weekend drama still to air, it will be interesting then to see how well it fares for the next few months.
Although, with Koreans seeming to love it more than any other drama currently on TV, it is highly unlikely we will see much of a drop, if any.
International viewers of Live Your Own Life not as thrilled
Interestingly, the long-running Korean drama has not been as popular outside South Korea where viewers are currently rating it a low (for that site) 8.1 out of 10 on Viki, and an even lower 7.6 out of 10 on My Drama List.
IMDB viewers also seem to have the same view of the show, with the current rating over there an equally low 7.6.
As Korean dramas go, however, weekend dramas with their 50-plus episodes often don’t seem to be as popular outside South Korea.
Whether that is because of their length, the lower production values or for other more complicated reasons, it is difficult to say.
What is important for the drama, however, is how well it has performed in the South Korean ratings.
Something Live Your Own Life has done since its very first episode.
After all, high ratings mean higher advertising revenue, more exposure and thus more opportunities for the actors, and the production company able to demand a higher payment when selling the drama to streaming platforms outside South Korea.
In other words, whether Live Your Own Life is a massive success in South Korea (and it is), or a success outside the country, the cast and crew are always thrilled with either.
Live Your Own Life stars Uee, Ha Jun and Go Joo Won.
Its next episode airs tonight (Sunday) on KBS2 in South Korea, with Viki streaming it for most international subscribers.
About the Author
Rachel M. Reeves