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‘Moorim School’ forced to end earlier due to poor ratings

By Louise Bonquin | Jan 29, 2016 10:22 AM EST
'Moorim School' stars Lee Hyun Woo and Hong Bin as Yoon Shi Woo and Wang Chi Ang, respectively.
(Photo : YouTube/KBS) 'Moorim School' stars Lee Hyun Woo and Hong Bin as Yoon Shi Woo and Wang Chi Ang, respectively.

"Moorim School" is concluding earlier than planned. The show is only in its third week of broadcast but due to many setbacks, the producers were forced to cut short its programming schedule.

On Jan. 26, KBS Network announced that the fantasy drama will end with just 16 episodes contrary to the original number of 20. It will be replaced with short drama called the "Babysitter." 

"Moorim School" started with a little over five percent in viewership rating. It was low and unfortunately, that was the drama's highest record so far.

The rating continues to decline despite additional promotion efforts from the lead stars. Nevertheless, the disappointing response from the viewers coupled with the high production cost were the main reasons for the decision to end it early.

According to Nielsen Korea, the fantasy series recorded only 3.5 percent on its Jan. 25 telecast. The number did not even reached half of MBC's "Glamorous Temptation" rating which was 12.5 percent, and such result is a big let down to the producers and actors.

Recently, "Moorim School" was involved in a controversy because of a particular scene in episode 4. In the portrayal of their characters as students of Moorim Institute, actor Lee Hyun Woo and boy band member VIXX's Lee Hong Bin were shown burning wads of Chinese bills.

In the scene, the students climbed a mountain to set it on fire. They used the money in Hong Bin's pocket to start the flame and since he portrays a Chinese character named Wang Chi Ang and he only had Chinese yuan.

"The drama did not intend to malign China or its culture," Korea Times quoted a source from KBS network as saying in response to the outbursts as the act reportedly offended many Chinese people.

The source further assured that the problematic scene would be removed and will never appear on re-runs or any recordings that can be sold in the future. 

"Moorim School" is a teen drama where students of different ethnicity were enrolled in a unique institute to learn about virtues. It airs Mondays and Tuesdays on KBS Network. It is expected to complete its run on March 15.

Get a glimpse of "Moorim School" below:

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