The Legend of Kitchen Soldier Just Hit a New Ratings High — But The Scarecrow Is Not Going Down Without a Fight

Monday-Tuesday Korean drama fans are being spoiled this season — two very different shows are locked in one of the tightest ratings battles of 2026, and neither is ready to blink.

The Latest Numbers

According to Nielsen Korea, Park Ji-hoon’s The Legend of Kitchen Soldier garnered an average nationwide viewership rating of 7.925 percent, achieving a new personal best and a small boost from the previous episode’s score of 7.852 percent. The Scarecrow achieved an average nationwide viewership rating of 7.4 percent for its second-to-final episode, seeing a small dip of 0.5 percent after reaching its personal best record of 7.9 percent.

The gap is razor-thin — but the trajectory tells an interesting story. Kitchen Soldier is rising with every episode, while The Scarecrow heads into its finale week slightly off its peak.

The Legend of Kitchen Soldier: Ratings Journey

What Are These Shows About?

The Legend of Kitchen Soldier is a military comedy fantasy series starring Park Ji-hoon as Kang Seong-jae, a young man from a poor background who enlists in the military and unexpectedly rises to become a legendary cook after a mysterious quest system appears before him. As he completes missions across the base, he uncovers a dark web of military corruption. It is adapted from a popular Naver webtoon and airs on tvN and TVING. Wikipedia

The Scarecrow, airing on ENA, is a mystery crime thriller based on the real-life Lee Choon-jae serial murder case (the Hwaseong killings). It follows a detective who refuses to succumb to the pressures of his era or public authorities, determined to set the record straight and bring a killer to justice. The show stars Park Hae-soo, Lee Hee-joon, and Kwak Sun-young. HanCinema

Why This Ratings Battle Matters

The Scarecrow had already made history earlier in its run, breaking ENA’s record for the highest viewership ratings ever achieved by a Monday-Tuesday drama on the network. Meanwhile, Kitchen Soldier has now set a new personal best with literally every episode it has aired — a rare and impressive streak that speaks to its growing word-of-mouth momentum. Soompi

Two wildly different genres — a fantastical military comedy and a gritty true-crime thriller — going head-to-head at nearly identical ratings is the kind of outcome that only happens when both shows are genuinely firing on all cylinders. For more K-drama news and weekly ratings updates, check out our entertainment coverage at Technosports.

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