'Shinbyeong 4' pop-up draws crowds, sets series viewership record

The pop-up store for ENA's Monday-Tuesday drama series "Shinbyeong 4: Sabotage" wrapped up to an enthusiastic response from fans.

KT Studio Genie said Wednesday that the "Shinbyeong 4" pop-up store, which ran at Musinsa Store Seongsu from Aug. 15 to Aug. 31, concluded to a warm reception.

The "Shinbyeong" series is a military barracks drama based on a mega-hit animated series of the same name. Season 4 follows Corporal Park Min-seok (played by Kim Min-ho) as he returns to battle-ready mode alongside Sergeant Choi Il-gu (played by Nam Tae-woo), a mysterious new recruit and a battalion commander set to shake things up.

The pop-up, which opened before the drama's broadcast premiere, drew large crowds on the strength of the fandom and name recognition built through Season 3. Visitors were drawn to a photo zone recreating the barracks of the fictional Sinhwa unit, as well as a range of merchandise — including goods styled after military supply items — that brought the world of "Shinbyeong 4" to life.

A fan meetup on Aug. 22 added to the excitement, with all six cast members — Kim Min-ho, Lee Won-jeong, Nam Tae-woo, Kim Yo-han, Jeon Seung-hun and Lee Sang-jin — in attendance. The event featured behind-the-scenes stories from filming and a talk session with fans.

"It felt like spending time with friends — comfortable and fun," one attendee said. "It made me even more excited about the chemistry in the drama, and the merchandise really captured the unique identity of 'Shinbyeong' in a hip and trendy way that made me want to collect it all."

The pop-up's momentum carried over into strong viewership numbers when the show began airing.

"Shinbyeong 4" premiered Aug. 24, posting a nationwide household viewership rating of 2.8 percent — the highest series-opening figure in the franchise's history. By its third episode, the show had already surpassed the previous season's peak rating of 3.3 percent, climbing to 3.4 percent.

"This was a natural case of the pre-broadcast pop-up and the show itself creating synergy," a KT Studio Genie official said. "Running it in Seongsu, with its high foot traffic, also gave us strong promotional reach."