Michelle Topham 
The new JTBC Saturday-Sunday drama The Art of Negotiation, Episode 1 kicked off last night to an excellent start in the ratings.
Especially considering there are five other Korean dramas airing on the same night.
The nationwide rating for The Art of Negotiation, Episode 1 was 3.0 percent, with the K-drama’s rating in Seoul coming in at a higher 3.58 percent.
Meanwhile, its nationwide rating was lower than that for its predecessor — The Tale of Lady Ok — which aired in the same timeslot on JTBC, and kicked off its run with a 4.20 percent viewership.
With 11 more episodes to air, though, there is plenty of time for the Korean drama’s ratings to head much higher.
International viewer ratings on The Art of Negotiation
Honestly, paying any attention to international viewer ratings on many Korean dramas is a waste of your precious time.
Folks on My Drama List (MDL), for instance, are currently rating The Art of Negotiation a crazy low 7.1 out of 10 because…. they don’t understand it (?), they’re “offended” by something that was said in it (?), their favorite idol who can’t act but looks cute isn’t in it (?), it isn’t a stereotypical romance (?), or any other of a thousand stupid reasons why a certain segment of MDL users downrate every new drama that doesn’t fit into the same boring box.
RELATED: Episode 2 of The Art of Negotiation has almost its ratings!!!
Meanwhile, on Viki where The Art of Negotiation is streaming, we have the opposite problem — a segment of that site’s users rating it an exceptionally high 9.6 out of 10.
In other words, the real truth probably lies somewhere in the middle of both ratings so, if you haven’t yet begun watching the K-drama, watch it and make up your own mind.
If you enjoy a good business drama, though, Episode 1 got off to an excellent start.
The Art of Negotiation stars the exceptional main cast of Lee Je Hoon (Taxi Driver), Kim Dae Myung (Light Shop), Sung Dong Il (If You Wish Upon Me), Jang Hyun Sung (Money Heist: Korea), Oh Man Seok (The Atypical Family), Ahn Hyun Ho (Revenge of Others), and Cha Kang Yoon (The Midnight Romance in Hagwon).
All of whom are doing a superb job so far.
About the Author
