SM Entertainment To Debut Its First British Idol Group In New BBC Series

It will air this summer.

BBC has reported that it has acquired a new series revolving around K-Pop.

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.

— Kalpna Patel-Knight, Head of Entertainment at the BBC

BBC One logo
BBC One logo

SM Entertainment and Kakao Entertainment America have created a new six-part series to be distributed by BBC. It’s titled Made in Korea: The K-Pop Experience. 

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.

Daniel Jang, CEO, SM Entertainment

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.

— Joseph Chang, Co-CEO, Kakao Entertainment Corp

Kakao Entertainment (left) and SM Entertainment (right) logos
Kakao Entertainment (left) and SM Entertainment (right) logos

The limited series will follow “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.” It was filmed in South Korea, documenting the boys’ trainee experience in SM Entertainment, working with the best choreographers, undergoing vocal, dance, and performance lessons, “life coaching techniques,” and more. The five British boys will train for 100 days in hopes of debuting as an idol group.

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.

— BBC

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| BBC

Producers for the show include Moon&Back Media, which was part of the team that developed and produced iconic shows Got Talent and The X Factor and beloved boy band One Direction.

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.

— Nigel Hall, Co-founder, Moon&Back Media

One Direction
One Direction

Made in Korea: The K-Pop Experience is confirmed to launch this summer on BBC One and iPlayer, with ITV Studios handling international distribution.

Source: BBC

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