Korean Media Blames Kim Soo Hyun For G-Dragon’s Disappointing “Good Day” Ratings
This article is part of our coverage of Kim Soo Hyun And Kim Sae Ron's Relationship. You can read more and view the entire timeline here.
MBC‘s exciting variety show Good Day, hosted by BIGBANG‘s G-Dragon who also acted as a music producer, has unfortunately ended its run with underwhelming ratings. The show closed out with its lowest number yet…. just 2.7 percent.
Despite its highly anticipated premiere — and promising starting ratings — on February 16 and a strong cast lineup including Jung Hae In, Im Siwan, Lee Soo Hyuk, and Kwanghee, the show ultimately failed to maintain viewer interest.
Korean media outlets are now pointing to a key reason behind the decline: the controversy involving scandal-ridden actor Kim Soo Hyun. He was a guest star on the show for some time.
Wikitree reported that “the biggest reason behind the show’s rating slump was the controversy involving Kim Soo Hyun,” referring to the actor’s alleged relationship with the late Kim Sae Ron, which allegedly began when she was still a minor. Even though the actor continued filming after the allegations surfaced, the backlash intensified, prompting the production team to remove as much of his footage as possible.
The biggest reason behind the show’s rating slump was the controversy involving Kim Soo Hyun.
Allegations surfaced claiming that he had dated the late Kim Sae Ron starting in November 2015, when she was only 15 years old, until July 2021. Despite the uproar, Kim Soo Hyun proceeded with filming on March 13 and appeared in the March 16 broadcast, sparking further backlash. The production team later announced, ‘We will cut as much of Kim Soo Hyun’s appearance as possible and will not air the individual recording session from the 13th,’ deciding to skip a week of airing and heavily edit his scenes.
However, these measures weren’t enough to bring back viewers.
— Wikitree
News1 also noted the impact, saying the show was “unexpectedly caught up in controversy” after Kim Soo Hyun faced serious allegations, leading to his scenes being edited out entirely.
G-Dragon’s return to variety shows became a hot topic in itself, and the show drew attention for its star-studded cast of fellow 1988-born celebrities. However, midway through the broadcast, the program was unexpectedly caught up in controversy when cast member Kim Soo Hyun faced allegations of having dated the late Kim Sae Ron during her teenage years. As a result, Good Day edited out all of Kim Soo Hyun’s scenes from the show.
— News1
Celuv Media echoed the sentiment, pointing out that despite the cast’s popularity, the show suffered a ratings drop made worse by the controversy surrounding Kim Soo Hyun.
Despite its star-studded cast, the show recorded disappointing ratings — and to make matters worse, it was hit with controversy surrounding one of its cast members, actor Kim Soo Hyun.
Allegations surfaced that Kim had been in a relationship with the late Kim Sae Ron, who was a minor at just 15 years old when they reportedly began dating, and that the relationship lasted for six years. As the controversy intensified, viewers flooded Good Day’s message boards demanding Kim Soo Hyun’s removal from the show.
— CeLuv Media
JobPost added that even though Kim briefly appeared in a wide shot during one episode, his segments were completely removed from the following episodes in response to ongoing viewer backlash.
The program also faced difficulties due to the controversy surrounding Kim Soo Hyun’s personal life.
Allegations emerged that he had been in a relationship with the late Kim Sae Ron when she was still a minor, prompting continued backlash from viewers. In response, the production team decided to completely edit out Kim Soo Hyun’s footage. Although he briefly appeared in a wide shot during Episode 5, his scenes were entirely removed from Episodes 6 through 8.
— JobPost
While Good Day had the potential to be a major hit, especially with G-Dragon’s long-awaited return to variety, Korean media seem to think that the controversy overshadowed the show’s concept.
