Following the success of 'The King's Warden' with 16 million viewers, Park Jihoon's 'The Legend of Kitchen Soldier' becomes #1 in viewer ratings with 6.2% in just 2 episodes

SOURCE: 박지훈, 1600만 '왕사남' 이어 '취사병'도 대박 조짐..2회 만에 시청률 1위 6.2% [핫피플]

After the huge success of 'The King's Warden,' which attracted 16 million viewers, expectations are rising for another potential hit project from Park Jihoon as 'The Legend of Kitchen Soldier' surpassed 6% ratings in just its second episode.

According to Nielsen Korea on the 13th, the second episode of the TVING original series 'The Legend of Kitchen Soldier' (written by Choi Ryong, directed by Jo Namhyung), which aired on the 12th, recorded a viewer rating of 6.2% nationwide among paid broadcasting households. Its peak rating even rose to 7.6%.

In the Seoul metropolitan area, the ratings were even higher, averaging at 6.7% and peaking at 7.9%. As a result, the second episode ranked No. 1 in its time slot among all cable TV and general programming channels nationwide, as well as terrestrial channels in the metropolitan area. It also ranked No. 1 across all channels among viewers aged 20-49 during its time slot.

'The Legend of Kitchen Soldier' is a drama about Kang Sungjae, played by Park Jihoon, an underprivilage private second-class soldier who carries a kitchen knife instead of rifle and wears an apron instead of ammunition belts, as he rises to become a 'legendary cook soldier.' The drama is based on the popular web novel and webtoon of the same name.

The drama especially drew attention as it is Park Jihoon's next project follwwing his highly-praised performance as King Danjong in his film debut 'The King's Warden,' which recently surpassed 16 million viewers. 

Continue reading Following the success of 'The King's Warden' with 16 million viewers, Park Jihoon's 'The Legend of Kitchen Soldier' becomes #1 in viewer ratings with 6.2% in just 2 episodes

'10 million actor' Park Jihoon finally shares his thoughts: "I'm drawn to characters who adapt to unfamiliar environments"

SOURCE: '천만 배우' 박지훈, 끝내 속내 밝혔다…"낯선 환경에 적응하는 인물 흥미로워" ('취사병')

Singer and actor Park Jihoon opened up about the process of bringing Kang Sungjae's character to life in 'The Legend of Kitchen Soldier.' Meanwhile, Park Jihoon recently achieved the '10-million actor' milestone through the film 'The King's Warden.'

Set to premiere on the 11th next month, the TVING original 'The Legend of Kitchen Soldier' is a military cooking fantasy drama that follows Private Kang Sungjae (played by Park Jihoon), who swaps his rifle for a kitchen knife and an anmo belt for an apron to become a legendary cook soldier.

Known as a military enthusiast, Park Jihoon personally shared behind-the-scenes stories about his role as the cook Kang Sungjae, ranging from why he chose this project to his preparation process for the role.

Regarding his decision to join this project, Park Jihoon said, "I've always wanted to wear a military uniform in a project at least once. I also wanted to take on a new challenge." He added, "I found it particularly interesting that Kang Sungjae is a character that adapts to an unfamiliar environment and builds his own place. His process of gaining trust within the unit and forming bonds with others through his amazing skills was also very appealing to me."

Park Jihoon shared that he put in an extra effort to portray Kang Sungjae's character convincingly. He said, "To realistically depict the unique role of a cook soldier, I took cooking lessons before filming. As I learned dishes one by one, my knife skills gradually improved as well."

Since the plote involves Kang Sungjae's character completing quests to level up his cooking skills, a different approach was needed. Regarding this, Park Jihoon explained, "I wanted to portray a character who gradually grows over time, using the 'Guardian,' the fictional character who delivers the quests. I imagined as if it really existed in front of me and paid a lot of attention, espexially on my eye movements and facial expressions."

As a for the nickname he hopes to gain through the drama, he chose 'Kkang Sungjae.' Park Jihoon said, "The character's nickname in the drama is Kkang Sungjae. For some reason, it made me feel good whenever I was called that. The word itself sounds quite cute, so I'd like to be called Kkang Sungjae."

Regarding the key points to watch, Park Jihoon shared, "It would be great if you could follow how Kkang Sungjae builds relationships with various characters and grows through them, as well as the chemistry that develops along the way. I also hope you take interest in the character's growth through the interesting 'Guardian' concept."

'The Legend of Kitchen Soldier' will premiere on May 11 at 8.50 PM (KST) on TVING and tvN.

Continue reading '10 million actor' Park Jihoon finally shares his thoughts: "I'm drawn to characters who adapt to unfamiliar environments"