Promotional image for SBS TV series "Defendant" (Yonhap)

SBS TV's crime thriller "Defendant" held steadfast to its lead in the Monday-Tuesday late night television drama race, while Ko So-young's comeback series "Ms. Perfect" lagged far behind, data showed Wednesday.

Tuesday night's 12th episode of "Defendant" recorded 24.9 percent viewership, according to Nielsen Korea, reaching a new high for the series.

MBC TV's "Rebel: A Thief Who Stole The People" raked in 10.5 percent, seeing a small up-tick from Monday, while episode four of KBS 2TV's "Ms. Perfect," aired during the same time slot, stood at 4.9 percent, down 0.2 percentage points from the previous broadcast.

In "Defendant," Ji Sung takes on the role of Park Jung-woo, a former prosecutor who is framed for murdering his family and is now a death row inmate.

The series, directed by Cho Young-kwang and penned by Choi Soo-jin, has pulled in viewers from the beginning, kicking off with a whopping 14.5-percent rating in its premier and has risen above the 20-percent mark since episode seven.

Main protagonist Park suffers from memory loss and is unaware of how he ended up in prison. While in prison, he tries to unravel a conspiracy in the face of mounting odds.

Um Ki-joon is cast as the antagonist, the mastermind behind Park's demise and a psychopath who kills his twin CEO brother and assumes his family and life. Yuri of idol group Girls' Generation plays the public defender who aids Park.

In the latest episode, Ji's character escapes from prison and meets up with his missing daughter, who was known to have been murdered by Park. SBS TV has added two more episodes to the initially 16-part series due to strong demand. (Yonhap)