On Liberation Day, ratings for the history special that dealt with Lee Wan-yong, known as a leading pro-Japanese figure, jumped sharply.
According to Nielsen Korea, a ratings research company, KBS1's History Special Time Traveler, which aired on the 16th, recorded a nationwide rating of 2.7%.
This is a 0.7 percentage point increase from the 2.0% rating recorded by episode 32, which aired on the 9th. History Special Time Traveler's own highest rating was 3.5%, recorded by episode 20, which aired on May 3.
The program that day was presented as Liberation Day special part 1, "The traitor Lee Wan-yong's choice." Based on newly unearthed materials and records, it traced Lee Wan-yong's trajectory as he constantly reinvented himself while pursuing the era's powers.
The broadcast began with the assassination attempt that took place in broad daylight in the middle of Myeongdong in late December of the Korean Empire on Dec. 22, 1909. The tip of the knife of the activist Lee Jae-myung was aimed at Lee Wan-yong, and the attack, which took place eight months before the Japan-Korea annexation, failed.
In particular, it was reported that An Sang-ho, the great-grandfather of actor Ha-young, was involved in the treatment and surgery for the serious injuries Lee Wan-yong suffered at that time. Professor Park Young-seok, citing the 1927 memorial volume for Lee Wan-yong, Il-dang gisa, notes in his paper Lee Wan-yong study that Lee Wan-yong received treatment from several doctors, including An Sang-ho, immediately after the assassination attempt and survived. However, there are also records that the people who directly performed and supervised Lee Wan-yong's surgery were Japanese doctors who were serving at the Korean Imperial Hospital.
Meanwhile, KBS1's History Special Time Traveler airs every Sunday at 9:30 p.m.
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