The drama "Descendants of the Sun" has maintained a strong following for its seventh episode, with viewership in and around Seoul breaking 30 percent for the first time, data showed Thursday.

The KBS 2TV series, starring actor Song Joong-ki and actress Song Hye-kyo, was watched by 30.1 percent of the Seoul metropolitan area on Wednesday, data by Nielsen Korea showed.

In Seoul, the show set a fresh record of 31.8 percent, but nationwide viewership inched down 0.2 percentage points to 28.5 percent.

In episode 7, an earthquake strikes the fictional country of Uruk where the story is set. Army captain Yoo Si-jin leads the rescue operation with doctor Kang Mo-yeon (Song Hye-kyo) offering medical assistance.

Later, Kang gives Yoo stitches on his injured shoulder. With Kang facing his back -- since it's the back of Yoo's shoulder that's hurting -- Yoo tells Kang how much he's missed her.

"I've tried everything... but I've really missed you," he says, adding, "Is that something you didn't expect to hear? Well, you should give it a thought."

In the next episode, a team of soldiers and doctors finally detect signs of survivors, making slow progress in their rescue efforts. An aftershock, however, throws Yoo under a pile of debris where he is cut off from the outside world.

MBC's "Goodbye, Mr. Black," which premiered Wednesday, failed to challenge "Descendants of the Sun," collecting only 3.9 percent viewership nationwide.

Another competitor on SBS, "Please Come Back, Mister," was barely ahead with 4 percent. (Yonhap)