(NEW)

Korean TV network KBS2 announced Tuesday plans to air special edition episodes of its sensational TV drama series “Descendants of the Sun” a week after the series wraps up.

“Descendants of the Sun” went down a preshooting route -- an unusual move in Korea that is more common in the U.S. and other countries -- given that the series is also set to air in China. The date for the finale has been fixed for April 14.

The network has decided to air special edition episodes for the Wednesday-Thursday drama series on April 20, 21 and 22, according to multiple local reports Tuesday.

“We have made plans for airing special edition (episodes),” a source from KBS was quoted as saying. The source added the summary of the entire series will be aired on April 20 and 21, while on April 22 a behind-the-scenes episode will be broadcast.

According to the plan, the upcoming TV drama series “Master: God of Noodles” will kick off a week later than planned, on April 27.

The TV drama bureau chief had initially announced on March 20 that there were no plans to air additional episodes, a special or extension of the series.

Despite the announcement, international calls for an extension or special edition of the series grew exponentially, backed by a formidable increase in viewership. The Thursday episode of the series, starring actor Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo, reached a record high in local viewership ratings, at 31.6 percent, according to local researcher Nielsen Korea.

By Son Ji-hyoung (json@heraldcorp.com)

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