Queen of Tears: tvN's Highest-Rated Drama Ever
Queen of Tears (2024, tvN) tells the story of Hong Hae-in (Kim Ji-won), a third-generation chaebol heiress, and Baek Hyun-woo (Kim Soo-hyun), her husband from a humble farming family. Written by Park Ji-eun — the writer behind Crash Landing on You and My Love from the Star — the drama shattered records with a 24.85% finale rating, becoming tvN's highest-rated drama of all time. On Netflix, it accumulated 460 million viewing hours and spent 13 consecutive weeks in the Global Top 10.
The fictional "Queens Department Store" was filmed at The Hyundai Seoul, while the Queens family mansion scenes took place at the Korean Stone Art Museum in Seongbuk-dong. The production spanned 331 filming days with a budget of approximately $42 million and 793 actors.
Germany and Korea: Landscapes of Love
The most iconic overseas location is Frankfurt's Eiserner Steg (Iron Footbridge), which also served as the drama's official poster backdrop. Here, Hyun-woo and Hae-in attach a love lock pledging eternal love over the Main River. Additional Germany filming took place at Berlin Cathedral, Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam, and Heidelberg Central Station.
Back in Korea, the aquarium proposal at Aqua Planet Ilsan (Episode 8) and the sunset second proposal at Geonji Village Observatory in Chungju (Episode 12) stand out as the drama's most unforgettable romantic scenes.
