“QUEEN of Tears” is a Korean drama that gained significant popularity and stole hearts with its tear-jerking finale, which broke records and made history.
On April 28, the final episode of the hit romance set a record for the highest viewership ratings of any drama in tvN history.
According to Nielsen Korea, the series finale of “Queen of Tears” scored an average nationwide rating of 24.850 percent, surpassing the four-year record of 21.683 percent achieved by the finale of “Crash Landing on You.”
“Queen of Tears” also ranked third in the non-English category on Netflix’s Top 10 TV Series.
“Queen of Tears” follows the story of couple Baek Hyun-Woo (Kim Soo-Hyun) and Hong Hae-In (Kim Ji-Won) as they navigate the ups and downs of married life.
On top of its captivating plotline, the chemistry between the main characters has attracted the audience’s attention.
Sounds familiar?
The drama was based on the real-life marriage of Lee Boo Jin, a South Korean billionaire businesswoman and the heiress of Samsung.
But did you know that “Queen of Tears” also appears to have drawn inspiration from a Filipino businessman? Kim Ji-Won’s character, Hong Hae-In, is a third-generation chaebol heiress and CEO of a Queen’s Department Store.
Her grandfather, played by actor Kim Kap Soo, shares a backstory like the late Filipino-Chinese business tycoon Henry Sy.
Photo Courtesy: Netflix
It’s interesting to note that in episode 4, Hong Man-Dae shares with his lover Moh Seul-hee the story of his humble beginnings as he built his empire from scratch.
He reveals that he once sold newspapers and shined shoes in Myeong-dong, emphasizing his relentless work ethic in over 60 years to establish a top department store and mart franchise in Korea.
Sy was the founder of SM Group, also known as SM Prime Holdings. The Filipino-Chinese tycoon’s story began when he came to the Philippines at 12 years old and worked in his father’s sari-sari store.
Due to the losses his family suffered during World War II, Sy decided to sell shoes, believing that everyone would want footwear in the wake of the conflict. This eventually led him to open a small shoe store, which expanded to become “ShoeMart.” It is now what we know, “SM.”
As they say: “Dream big if you want to become greatly successful.”
With reports from Naomi Ferwelo
