I don't see it flopped from the ratings. Those ratings made it the second most watched drama. One of the reasons why drama couldn't get higher ratings in Korea is because the main actor was in dispute with his company so he could not be shown during drama promotions.
But while Sungkyunkwan Scandal was not as popular in Korea, it was incredibly popular among international fans which is the audience /u/Ambergold7 is writing for.
The drama DVD made it to 4th place on Oricon chart, it won Drama of the Year award, the soundtrack itself sold in 110,000 copies in the first week.
But all of that is not the point. I did not recommend the drama because of its popularity, but because of its quality and entertaining factor.
As for the hanboks, it was a fashion show after the press conference, as actors walked down the runway wearing different clothes. Actors don't change clothes during the press conference, as was the case here: 1, 2, 3.
The Moon Embracing the Sun was made by the same author that wrote SungKyunKwan Scandal but in my opinion the latter is a far superior storyline. I haven't watched Gu Family Book so I can't comment.
Looking from your posting history I can understand that someone who scours reddit for Asian girl porn might not have any appreciation for drama that empowers women, but you should be able to separate your personal preferences from questions of quality.
