'New Employee Chairman Kang': Son Hyun-joo Survival Twist Pushes Ratings to 11.1%

JTBC's Saturday-Sunday drama 'New Employee Chairman Kang' held viewers with a succession of reversals that overturned expectations and a tightly wound struggle for power. As the mystery surrounding the supposed death of Chairman Kang Yong-ho, played by Son Hyun-joo, moved into a new phase, the episode disclosed both the identity of the apparent real culprit and a shocking survival twist, sending the drama to its highest ratings yet.

Episode 10, which aired on June 28, followed Hwang Jun-hyun, played by Lee Jun-young, as he moved closer to the truth behind the incident while carrying the spirit of Chairman Kang Yong-ho. The tension peaked near the end of the broadcast when the drama revealed that Kang Yong-ho, whom everyone had believed to be dead, was in fact alive.

The episode recorded 11.1 percent viewership both in the Seoul metropolitan area and nationwide, according to Nielsen Korea, breaking the drama's own previous high. Its peak minute-by-minute rating rose to 12.1 percent. The series also ranked first among all Sunday programs in the 20-to-49 demographic, underscoring the level of public interest in the drama.

The strongest pull of 'New Employee Chairman Kang' lies in the fact that it does not remain a simple succession battle inside a wealthy corporate family. The drama combines that familiar framework with a psychological exploration of human desire and power. Around the central incident of the chairman's death, each character's concealed ambition and fear comes to the surface, repeatedly forcing viewers to question who is a victim and who is a perpetrator.

In the episode, Hwang Jun-hyun continued to act as though he had sided with Kang Jae-kyung, played by Jeon Hye-jin, while also pursuing the truth of the case. After tracking down the hospital CCTV administrator, he obtained a decisive clue. He then discovered that the person behind the manipulation of those connected to the CCTV on the day of the incident was an associate of Na Byeong-mo, played by Jeong Jae-sung, who had been trying to pressure Kang Jae-kyung.

Na Byeong-mo handed CCTV material showing Kang Jae-kyung to the press, using public pressure against her while continuing to threaten her by demanding core technology from Choi Sung Group. Even though he claimed Kang Jae-kyung was not the culprit, his attitude that it would be enough to make people believe she had killed the chairman exposed him as a ruthless figure willing to manipulate even the truth for power.

But the direction of the case turned toward an unexpected person. Hwang Jun-hyun reached a startling conclusion after putting together the circumstances on the day of the incident, the actions of Na Eun-se, played by Lee Seo-an, and the injury she had sustained. The implication was that Na Eun-se, Kang Jae-kyung's daughter-in-law and Na Byeong-mo's daughter, had disguised herself as Kang Jae-kyung and tried to attack Chairman Kang Yong-ho in order to pin all blame on Kang Jae-kyung.

The revelation went beyond the exposure of a simple crime. It showed how desire and a sense of inferiority hidden under the name of family can lead to destructive consequences. As the ambition concealed behind Na Eun-se's calm and calculating behavior came into view, the drama's central conflict became even more complicated.

However, the true shock of Episode 10 arrived in the final scene. At a villa secretly visited by Kang Jae-kyung's husband, Min Seok-do, played by Kwon Hae-sung, Chairman Kang Yong-ho was shown alive, despite having been known to have already had a funeral.

The scene in which Kang Jae-sung, played by Jin Goo, was caring for Kang Yong-ho became the decisive twist that completely overturned the flow of events so far. Viewers were left with a new question about whether the chairman had really died at all, while curiosity grew over the hidden truth behind the succession war that had unfolded up to this point.

'New Employee Chairman Kang' uses the familiar subject of a power struggle within a wealthy family, but it builds a differentiated narrative by placing memory, identity, desire, and guilt at the center of the story. Through Hwang Jun-hyun in particular, the drama shows how the memories of the dead can change the choices of the living, combining genre entertainment with philosophical questions.

With two major secrets now revealed, the true shape of the culprit and the survival of Kang Yong-ho, attention is focusing on how the remaining story will move toward the conclusion of the succession battle.