"The Haunted Palace" has made a spectacular debut, breaking into double-digit ratings in its first week and sweeping both domestic and international OTT platforms with its unparalleled success.
The SBS Friday-Saturday drama "The Haunted Palace" (written by Yoon Soo-jung, directed by Yoon Sung-sik) is a fantasy romantic comedy that entangles the fate of Yeori, a shaman who refuses her destiny as a medium, and Kang Cheol-yi, a dragon trapped in the body of Yeori's first love, Yoon Gap, as they confront a vengeful eight-foot-tall ghost harboring a grudge against the royal family. The intriguing premise of a dragon and a shaman, coupled with the inspired character play by Yook Sung-jae (as both Kang Cheol-yi/Yoon Gap) and Kim Ji-yeon (as Yeori) along with Kim Ji-hoon (as Lee Jung), the stimulating royal mysteries, and the chilling presence of K-ghosts, sparked an enthusiastic response from the get-go.
According to Nielsen Korea, the premiere episode of "The Haunted Palace" on the 18th recorded a peak rating of 10.7%, astonishingly breaking into double digits from the start. It also set a new record for the highest premiere ratings of an SBS drama broadcast in 2025 with 9.2% in the metropolitan area and 9.2% nationwide, surpassing "Love Scout" and "Buried Hearts". Moreover, it not only took first place in its time slot but also ranked first among all miniseries broadcast that week, securing an early victory in the heated battle of new releases this April.
Its popularity on OTT platforms is equally overwhelming. Immediately after its release on Netflix, "The Haunted Palace" quickly overtook other prominent competitors to claim the top spot in 'Today's Top 10 Series in South Korea'. It also ranked first in the TV series category in Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand, laying a solid foundation for a global sensation. (FlixPatrol, as of April 21)
Additionally, according to the trend ranking compiled by KinoLights, a domestic OTT search and content recommendation platform, "The Haunted Palace" swept all the charts by ranking first across both movies and dramas as of April 19.
Meanwhile, the second episode of "The Haunted Palace" showcased the tumultuous adaptation of Kang Cheol-yi, a dragon experiencing human life for the first time in a thousand years, and Yeori's desperate struggle to find Yoon Gap's soul within the palace. The episode ended with the revelation that the mysterious madness of Wonja (played by Park Jae-jun) was the doing of the dreadful eight-foot-tall ghost, and that Yoon Gap's spirit had already been consumed by it, setting the stage for an intense confrontation between Kang Cheol-yi, Yeori, and the eight-foot-tall ghost.
Having conquered both ratings and OTT platforms, "The Haunted Palace" is off to a flying start and will air its third episode on the 25th (Friday) at 9:50 PM.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)