Cast of Sinbyeong 4 Confirms Season 5 After Breaking Every Series Rating Record

Episode 10 of Sinbyeong 4: Sabotage pulled a 4.8% nationwide rating (Nielsen Korea, paid platform households), the highest number the Sinbyeong franchise has posted across any of its four seasons, and the cast spent the days before the finale reflecting on what got them there.

Kim Min-ho, who plays the series' anchor character Park Min-seok, now promoted to corporal, put it simply: "We've been able to come this far thanks to the tremendous love from viewers. As always with each season, there's a deep sense of longing as it ends. But Sinbyeong will definitely return, so please keep your expectations and interest high." Kim Dong-jun, whose Jeon Se-gye has become the comic heart of the Shinhwa unit, was even more direct: "We'll be back soon with Sinbyeong Season 5."

That kind of confident send-off is earned. When the show premiered on August 24, it opened at 2.8%. It climbed steadily, 3.6% by episode 4, 4.1% by episode 5, and kept pushing: 4.4%, then 4.6%, then the series peak of 4.8% in episode 10. Each number rewrote the franchise's own record. For four consecutive weeks leading into the finale, the show also ranked second in GoodData Corporation's FUNdex TV-OTT combined buzz rankings, a sign the audience wasn't just watching but actively talking.

What made this season work

The fourth season brought back the full original ensemble, Kim Min-ho, Nam Tae-woo, Lee Sang-jin, Lee Choong-gu, Lee Jeong-hyeon, Jo Jin-se, Oh Yong, and Kim Hee-soo, alongside returning Season 3 faces Kim Yo-han and Oh Dae-hwan. Two newcomers, Lee Won-jeong and Lee Hyeon-gyun, joined as the mysterious new recruit Kim Hyeon-wook and the elite battalion commander Byeon Hyeok-jin respectively, and both found their footing quickly.

Oh Dae-hwan, who plays the dependable 2nd Company pillar Jo Baek-ho (now on the verge of a promotion to major), described Sinbyeong 4 as the role he put the most personal thought into. "It's a work I poured a great deal of worry and affection into while playing Jo Baek-ho, so I think it will stay with me for a long time," he said. Lee Hyeon-gyun, coming in as a new character with the pressure that brings, acknowledged the nerves: "There was some burden being a newly inserted character, but I'm grateful that I was able to wrap things up well alongside such good people." Lee Won-jeong credited the direction and his senior castmates for helping his character's arc land: "Thanks to the director and my seniors guiding me well, the character's narrative came through clearly."

Nam Tae-woo, back as the youngest sergeant Choi Il-gu after appearing in earlier seasons, kept his farewell warm and straightforward: "Thank you for all the interest and love this season, and thank you for loving our Sinbyeongs and Choi Il-gu so much."

Finale day, together

On the 29th, the cast and key production staff, including director Min Jin-gi, who has shepherded every season of the franchise, and writers Yoon Ki-young and Kim Dan, gathered at a private venue to watch the 12th and final episode together. It's the first time the main cast has been in the same room since filming wrapped last summer, and given the ratings run they're celebrating, the mood was expected to be considerably lighter than the usual wrap party.

The finale itself carried some late drama: after the warm conclusion of national defense training, with characters Kang Chan-seok (Lee Jeong-hyeon) and Choi Byeong-nam (Kim Hee-soo) completing their service and Jo Baek-ho's promotion confirmed, Major Kim Ha-na (Gong Min-jeong) made a surprise appearance in the final stretch, the kind of entrance that keeps the door wide open for whatever Season 5 looks like.

Sinbyeong 4: Sabotage aired on ENA every Monday and Tuesday at 10 p.m. and was also available on KT Genie TV and Tving.