“The Legend of the Blue Sea,” a new drama series from SBS, received a strong rating for its premiere Wednesday.

The first episode had a 16.4 percent viewership rating, reaching as high as 20.7 percent for certain scenes, according to Nielsen Korea on Thursday. MBC’s “Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo” and the KBS2 show “Oh My Geum Bi,” both of which premiered Wednesday, recorded 3.3 percent and 5.9 percent, respectively. 


The SBS hit drama “Jealousy Incarnate,” which aired at the same time as “The Legend of the Blue Sea” before its series finale on Nov. 10, concluded with a viewership rating of 11 percent.

Starring actors Jun Ji-hyun and Lee Min-ho, the new SBS drama is a modern-day adaptation of the Joseon era legend about a fisherman’s encounter with a mermaid.

“The Legend of the Blue Sea” airs every Wednesday and Thursday on SBS.

By Kim Yu-young (ivykim@heraldcorp.com)