JTBC’s dating reality show “Love War” will wrap up its first season with episode 20 on November 9, closing a five-month run that began in June — and doing so at a ratings low. Its November 2 episode recorded 1.2%, marking a fourth straight week in the 1% range and a series low, according to TenAsia.
“Love War” (Yeonae Jeonjaeng) follows couples standing at a crossroads in their relationships, with hosts Lee Hyori, Seo Jang-hoon, and Kim Hee-chul watching their stories on video and debating whether each pair should stay together or split up. Star News reports that season 1 will conclude with episode 20, airing at 9:50 p.m. on November 9. Industry reports carried in late October said a new season is planned, but its schedule and cast have not been decided, leaving it uncertain whether the three hosts will return.
The November 2 episode illustrated both the show’s raw appeal and its problems. It featured a 29-year-old couple in conflict over drinking: the boyfriend drank six days a week, downing four bottles of soju each time, while the girlfriend, a black belt in special combat martial arts, admitted she had hit him first and provoked fights. The two made diverging choices at the end, with the girlfriend choosing to end the relationship, saying she had realized how severely she had acted and that her way of expressing love seemed wrong.
Watching the couple, Lee Hyori urged them to seek professional help together, drawing on her own experience. “I really hope you’ll go to the hospital together,” she said. “I go to a psychiatrist too. Even though it doesn’t seriously interfere with my daily life, I go once in a while, like getting a health checkup.” Multiple Korean outlets carried her remarks the next day, noting that she framed psychiatric care as routine maintenance rather than something to hide.
TenAsia, in a column assessing the show’s run, argued that even Lee Hyori’s sincerity could not save a format with structural flaws. The column said the program never shook off its resemblance to JTBC’s own “Divorce Camp,” from the studio panel watching video footage to its conflict-first grammar, and that dressing the setup up with “diplomats” instead of a courtroom did little to change it. Unlike “Divorce Camp” or MBC’s “Oh Eun-young Report — Marriage Hell,” which place a divorce lawyer or psychiatrist on hand to offer at least a minimum of solutions, “Love War” had no professional analyst of that kind, the column argued, so serious issues such as alcohol dependence, verbal abuse, and hyperventilation were left as material for panel reactions rather than treatment.
An authenticity controversy also damaged the show’s credibility, TenAsia noted. A couple featuring “Dol Singles” alumni Shim Gyu-deok and Lee A-young drew attention with fierce on-air conflict, only to open a couple YouTube channel the day before broadcast and say they were actually on good terms — prompting accusations that viewers had been misled. That put Lee Hyori in an awkward position, since she had vouched for the show’s authenticity at its press conference, saying she strongly disliked anything fake and that the people bringing their stories had genuine concerns.
What shone through the noise, in TenAsia’s assessment, was Lee Hyori herself. Rather than simply reacting to provocative footage, she opened up about her own wounds, including her husband Lee Sang-soon’s illness, and reflected on what her life and her broadcasting career would mean without him. She also spoke about the dips in self-esteem she felt as a superstar constantly in the public eye, using that honesty to comfort guests who spoke harshly about themselves. Earlier in the season, she drew similar attention for blunt marriage advice, telling a young couple not to rush into marriage while they could not control their emotions.
Lee Hyori’s candor fits a broader second act for the first-generation K-pop icon. A member of Fin.K.L, one of the defining girl groups of the late 1990s, she married musician Lee Sang-soon in 2013 and has built a later career as a broadcaster and yoga practitioner. Korean reports have also said she is preparing a full-group Fin.K.L reunion ahead of the group’s 30th debut anniversary in 2027, a project that would put her back on stage with the members who made her famous.
For now, the immediate question is whether “Love War” gets a second life. The production team has signaled plans for a new season, but with no date and no confirmed cast, the November 9 finale may stand as the show’s farewell — a reminder, as TenAsia put it, that even a star host cannot carry a show whose format and safety net were never fully built.
