In an exciting twist, The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call has officially surpassed Squid Game 2 in the rankings!

On February 4, KinoLites revealed the content rankings for the first week of February (January 27 – February 2), and The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call claimed the No. 1 spot for the first time since its release.

Premiering on January 24, The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call tells the intense and thrilling story of Baek Kang Hyuk (played by Ju Ji Hoon), a genius surgeon who joins an underperforming trauma team and works to bring it back to life. Based on a popular webtoon, the series has been praised for its explosive plot and creative storyline.

Directed by Lee Do Yoon (Good Friends) and written by Choi Tae Kang (Adamas), the show features a dynamic pairing of veteran actor Joo Ji Hoon and rising star Choo Young Woo, captivating audiences around the globe.

Coming in at No. 2 is Hitman 2, which premiered on January 22. This action-packed movie follows Jun (played by Kwon Sang Woo), a writer who falls from grace and becomes falsely accused after a terrorist attack inspired by his new webtoon. The movie has been dominating theaters, surpassing 2 million viewers and maintaining the top spot at the box office for eight days straight, especially during the Lunar New Year holiday.

In third place is Dark Nuns, which marks the highly anticipated return of top actress Song Hye Kyo to the big screen after 11 years. The movie, set to release on February 24, follows a group performing a forbidden ritual to save a boy possessed by a powerful evil spirit. The film has already received glowing reviews, reaching 1 million viewers on its 6th day of release. In Indonesia, it broke local opening records for a Korean film, and it's currently ranked second among all-time Korean films in the country.

Other rankings for the week include:

• 4th: The Queen of Mrs. Ock (JTBC drama)
• 5th: My Perfect Secretary (SBS drama)
• 6th: King of the Masked Singer 2 (MBN variety show)
• 7th: Study Group (TVING original drama)
• 8th: The Unspoken Secret (movie)
• 9th: Wongyeong (tvN X TVING original drama)
• 10th: Harbin (movie)

KinoLites tracks rankings across OTT platforms like Netflix, Wavve, TVING, Disney+, Watcha, and Coupang Play, based on over 100,000 data points from movies, dramas, and variety shows, reflecting the latest domestic media trends.

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Actor Song Kang Ho shocked fans by revealing the surprising reason he initially turned down the iconic role in Joint Security Area (JSA).

On February 4, the movie JSA was celebrated as a "Visionary" work at a special GV (Guest Visit) event for CJ ENM’s 30th anniversary at CGV Yongsan I'Park Mall in Seoul. The event was attended by director Park Chan-wook and stars like Song Kang Ho, Lee Byung Hun, Lee Young Ae, Kim Tae Woo, and Ko Kyung Beom, who shared stories from the making of the film.

Joint Security Area, a groundbreaking film by director Park Chan-wook, tells the story of North and South Korean soldiers caught in a tragic incident at the border, highlighting the human side of the divided nations. The film has been widely praised for changing the perception of inter-Korean relations and is seen as a key moment in Korean cinema.

During the event, Song Kang Ho admitted that he turned down the JSA script at first, saying, "The script was just too perfect. It was so well-written and tightly woven that I couldn’t believe it. I thought, ‘Is this really Korean cinema at this level?’ I felt it was too good, and I figured the movie wouldn’t live up to the script."

He also mentioned that at the time, Park Chan-wook’s previous films hadn’t done well, which made him even more doubtful. "But after meeting the director, I started to trust him," Song Kang Ho added.

Reflecting on the film 20 years later, Song Kang Ho joked, "I was flipping through channels and watched JSA again. I thought, ‘There was a time when I wasn’t envious of Lee Byung Hun,’ but he looked so handsome and cool back then." He continued, laughing, "One thing about Park Chan-wook's films is that they have a depth and elegance that you just can’t forget. It’s probably why his new movie is called I Can’t Help It."

Song Kang Ho also spoke fondly of reuniting with his JSA co-stars after 25 years. He shared, "We didn’t watch the film together, but we had a cozy two-hour dinner. After all this time, it felt nostalgic. It was heartwarming to sit together again and reminisce about the past. It really made me realize how meaningful these moments are."

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