BBC acquires new entertainment series Made in Korea: The K-Pop Experience for BBC One and BBC iPlayer

A world-first entertainment series encapsulating the global phenomenon of K-pop is set to launch on BBC One and iPlayer this summer.

Made in Korea: The K-Pop Experience is a music experiment like no other. A collaboration with K-pop talent powerhouse SM Entertainment & Kakao Entertainment America, the six-part series follows five boys from across the UK as they are put through the K-pop training process with the goal of launching a new boy band on the global stage.

Cameras go behind closed doors at SM Entertainment for the first time to witness the band working with the world’s greatest choreographers, singing songs from the best songwriters, and being tutored by some of the most revered experts in the K-pop business.

Filmed in South Korea, Made in Korea: The K-Pop Experience sees the boys immersed into K-pop culture and put through the original K-pop training process for 100 days. They will face a schedule of intense choreography, vocal and performance lessons, life coaching techniques, alongside an immersion into all aspects of Korean life – set against Seoul’s striking landscapes and iconic K-pop locations.

Each week the band’s progress is critiqued by undisputed K-pop expert, Hee Jun Yoon, the creative force behind some of the biggest K-pop bands of the last 20 years. This is the ultimate boot camp by the people who have created the world’s biggest K-pop superstars – but success is far from guaranteed.

Across three decades, K-pop has become a global phenomenon, influencing the worlds of fashion, styling and music. Credited as the company that created K-pop, SM Entertainment’s pioneering and comprehensive artist development system has launched over 100 groups and solo performers, including NCT, aespa, and RIIZE. They are behind the staging of over 2,300 global tours and a talent stable that has collectively accumulated over 100 billion YouTube views.

The producers for Made in Korea: The K-Pop Experience are global entertainment and music genre specialists Moon&Back Media, part of the team who developed and produced some of the world’s most travelled formats (Got Talent, The X Factor) and popular bands (One Direction).

Kalpna Patel-Knight, Head of Entertainment at the BBC says: ‘This unique acquisition will showcase a sense of exactly what it takes to make it in the world of K-pop. Witnessing the band come together and be put through their paces promises to be a very exciting prospect for audiences.’

Nigel Hall, Co-founder, Moon&Back Media says: ‘Made in Korea: The K-Pop Experience combines best in class from both K-pop and global entertainment production worlds. Forming a British boy band, schooling them through the unrivalled rigours of the K-pop process, and launching them on the global stage is creating both a world first and unmissable television.’

Daniel Jang, CEO, SM Entertainment says: ‘Through this UK boy group project, we anticipate a palpable synergy between SM Entertainment’s prowess in K-pop production and Moon&Back Media’s expertise in developing music-genre TV shows. This collaboration will yield exceptional content that will captivate pop music fans, not only in the UK, but worldwide.’

Joseph Chang, Co-CEO, Kakao Entertainment Corp said: ‘This endeavour marks the first time we’ve utilised K-pop’s production expertise within the UK, the birthplace of pop music, to directly showcase the creation of artists and music IP. It represents a meaningful opportunity to connect with a global audience through a reality show that traces the group’s journey and development. We’re confident that this project will open a new chapter for K-pop, offering a unique entertainment experience to music enthusiasts worldwide. We look forward to witnessing the debut and growth of this boy group together, with hopes that viewers will discover a new side of K-pop and fall in love with it all over again.’

Made in Korea: The K-Pop Experience (6 x 45) is produced by Moon&Back Media and has been acquired by the BBC for BBC One and iPlayer. ITV Studios handles international distribution for both format and finished programme.

Further information about the band and broadcast information will be announced in due course.

LW