Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha has urged Thais to watch a South Korean mega-hit drama about a gun-toting soldier saving lives in a faraway land, according to local news reports on Thursday.

Prayut, who seized power in 2014 in a coup, has urged Thais to tune in to "Descendants of the Sun," a drama that is winning over a growing number of viewers in Asia.

The TV drama tells the story of an army captain sent on a peacekeeping mission to a distant fictional country, battling shady henchmen to save his love interest.

The prime minister has reportedly said the Korean drama has inserted a sense of patriotism and sacrifice for the country into the show.

The former army chief turned prime minister has often portrayed himself as an officer duty-bound to save Thailand from years of political chaos, even penning two pop songs and commissioning a series of short films to spread his patriotic message.

Last year, he announced his own writing of a song "Because You are Thailand."

"What I have seen is that they have included a sense of patriotism, sacrifice, obeying orders and being a dutiful citizen,"

he told delegates at a government function Thursday morning.

"So please watch it and if anyone wants to make such a drama I will financially sponsor it to make people love uncorrupted government officials and make the Thai people love each other," he added.

The 16-episode drama stars Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo, with many in the entertainment business expecting it to become the next hallyu (Korean wave) success.

The Korean TV shows and pop music are widely enjoyed in Asia and more recently found devoted fans in the Middle East, Latin America and North Africa. (Yonhap)