“Si Da Ming Zhu,” a talk show from Shanghai-based satellite network Dragon TV is gaining popularity despite allegations that it plagiarized the format of KBS2’s “Hello Counselor.”

The talk show’s official Weibo account announced Friday that its fourth episode, which aired Thursday, recorded its highest-ever viewer ratings, citing viewership data provided by a local researcher CVSC Sofres Media.

The episode aired Thursday included a counseling session of a female fan of Korean singer Jung Yong-hwa, whose story went viral online among Chinese viewers.

(Si Da Ming Zhu's official Weibo account)

The entertainment show features four hosts -- Meng Fei, Yuchi Lin Jia, Wang Zulan, and Xie Yilin ? who share their views on the everyday life in China and offer suggestions to those who need counseling.

KBS2’s entertainment bureau head accused the show of having “the same format and the same setting” as its talk show and claimed the “Hello Counselor” was copied without the network’s consent.

The production crew will continue to take legal action against the Chinese show according to news reports, although no significant measure has yet been made public.

Staff of “Si Da Ming Zhu” denied the allegations, saying they “referred to many high-quality Chinese talk shows and did not copy ‘Hello Counselor.’”

(Si Da Ming Zhu's official Weibo account)

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