Park Jihoon is Unstoppable! ‘Becoming a Legend as a Culinary Soldier’ Hits Record-Breaking Numbers on TVING and tvN

Park Jihoon, who already joined the ranks of 10-million-viewer actors with the movie ‘The Man Living with the King’, is now dominating the drama scene too!

The TVING original drama ‘Becoming a Legend as a Culinary Soldier’ (Written by Choi Ryong, Directed by Jo Nam-hyung), starring Park Jihoon as Kang Seong-jae, is smashing records. It achieved the highest subscription contribution for a TVING drama in the last three years based on its first week of release. It also ranked #1 in paid subscriber contributors for two consecutive weeks, and Episode 5, released on the 25th, hit #1 for daily subscription contribution. It is an absolute sweep!

The viewership ratings are also on a roll, hitting new personal bests every episode. As a TVING original airing as a tvN Monday-Tuesday drama, Episode 5 recorded an average rating of 7.9% (peak 9.7%) nationwide and an average of 8.8% (peak 10.8%) in the metropolitan area. It once again broke its own record and ranked #1 in its time slot across all channels.

Park Jihoon is at the heart of this popularity. He brings the fantasy premise of Private Kang Seong-jae becoming a culinary legend to life with a convincing performance that keeps viewers totally hooked.

In the latest Episode 5, Park Jihoon showcased detailed emotional acting during a crisis. Kang Seong-jae (Park Jihoon) met with Republic of Korea Army TV reporter Jung Min-ah (Jeon So-young), creating an unexpected romantic spark. Park Jihoon’s human and friendly charm, combined with his vivid portrayal of flustered emotions, added so much fun to the watch.

Then, Kang Seong-jae went on a reward vacation and reunited with his family. Park Jihoon’s realistic acting shone as Kang Seong-jae showed deep affection and responsibility for his family, constantly researching ways to help his mother.

Even when facing the unexpected hurdle of limited status window skill usage outside the base, Kang Seong-jae did not give up. He showed incredible passion by visiting a famous tteokbokki restaurant during his vacation to learn the secrets of the trade. He sincerely portrayed the process of researching and finally completing a secret tteokbokki sauce using sweet persimmons based on his father’s notebook. His proactive growth story, dedicating himself to his family while overcoming real-life pain, was truly touching.

However, upon returning to the base, Kang Seong-jae faced another challenge. He was given a new mission: boost the morale of the unit members to complete a large-scale training exercise. Fans are now eager to see if he can ace this mission as well.

Meanwhile, the TVING original ‘Becoming a Legend as a Culinary Soldier’ starring Park Jihoon airs every Monday and Tuesday at 8:50 PM on TVING and tvN.