After Lee Min Ho, Lee Dong Wook's comeback drama The Divorce Insurance records low ratings: Are our OG Oppas losing their touch?

Just three months into 2025, and two of K-drama's biggest heartthrobs, Lee Min Ho and Lee Dong Wook, have already failed with their comeback projects. Lee Min Ho's highly anticipated drama When the Stars Gossip struggled to rake in viewership despite its promising cast, including co-star Gong Hyo Jin. A similar pattern is now being observed in Lee Dong Wook's latest K-drama, The Divorce Insurance, whose viewership has so far been a major letdown.

Disappointing Ratings for Lee Dong Wook's The Divorce Insurance

Lee Dong Wook's romantic comedy The Divorce Insurance premiered last week with much fanfare, as it marked his return to the beloved romcom genre after the 2018 hit Touch Your Heart.

Despite being one of Lee's favourite genres, where he has previously excelled, the drama is struggling to gain traction with viewers. The show opened to 3.235% national viewership ratings, as per Nielsen Korea, but the number has been on the decline following its premiere. The second episode of the drama recorded a viewership of 2.412%, and the recently released third episode dipped further, recording just 2.028% viewership.

What is the plot of The Divorce Insurance?

The drama follows Noh Ki Joon (Lee Dong Wook), a successful actuary at an insurance company, but his love life is a different story. With three failed marriages under his belt, Ki Joon has lost a small fortune and a lot of happiness.

The Divorce Insurance cast | Credit: X

Determined to break the cycle, he comes up with an innovative idea: divorce insurance. This new type of insurance aims to provide financial protection and emotional support to couples going through a divorce, helping them navigate the complex and often painful process.

The drama's announcement and the teasers building up to its premiere had ignited a fan frenzy, but its release was met with underwhelming responses, with users calling out the slow pacing and discrepancies in the storyline.

Lee Min Ho's disappointing run with When the Stars Gossip

Lee Min Ho's latest K-drama, When the Stars Gossip, was dubbed one of the worst K-dramas of all time by audiences and critics, with many citing poor writing, subpar CGI, and a lack of chemistry between the leads as major drawbacks.

Lee Min Ho and Gong Hyo Jin in When The Stars Gossip| Credit: X

Despite being touted as one of tvN's flagship series with a production budget of 50 billion KRW, the space romance drama failed to impress audiences, averaging a meagre 2% viewership rating. The drama's lowest point came with episode 7, which plummeted to 1.8%, marking the first time a tvN weekend drama has dipped into the 1% viewership ratings range in six years after Ji Chang Wook's Melting Me Softly.

Even the finale week of the drama fizzled out, with the last two episodes recording dismal viewership ratings of 1.783% and 2.550%, respectively, failing to generate any excitement or buzz among audiences.

Are our beloved Oppas losing their touch?

As younger actors like Byeon Woo Seok, Park Hyung Sik, and Seo Kang Joon are winning over audiences with ease, fans can't help but wonder if veteran actors Lee Min Ho and Lee Dong Wook are losing their charm.

However, many fans remain hopeful that a single well-written drama could be the key to reviving their signature charm. The thought of a K-drama world without Lee Min Ho's romantic leads and Lee Dong Wook's comedic timing is hard to imagine, leaving fans eager to see them thrive again.

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