| Actor Lee Byung-hun will host the first episode of the rebooted "Saturday Night Live Korea." Courtesy of Coupang Play |
By Lee Gyu-lee
Actor Lee Byung-hun will be the first host of the rebooted comedy show "Saturday Night Live Korea" (SNL Korea), according to Coupang Play, the streaming service owned by the retail giant Coupang.
The Korean adaptation of the long-running U.S. comedy show debuted in 2011 on tvN, and ran for nine seasons until 2017.
After about four years, the streaming service picked up the show for a reboot, which is set to premiere on Sept. 4 as Coupang Play's first original comedy show.
"We are holding high hopes on bringing back SNL Korea through Coupang Play. I hope it can offer a good laugh to the users of our service," Kim Sung-han, head of Coupang Play, said in a statement.
The show will have original cast members from previous seasons, including Ahn Young-mi, Jung Sang-hoon, Kim Min-kyo and Kwon Hyuk-soo, as well as the main host Shin Dong-yup.
It will also invite new cast members, such as Red Velvet's Wendy and actress Cha Chung-hwa.
Lee, who garnered global fame by starring in various hit films, including a number of Hollywood productions, recently starred in the disaster action film "Emergency Declaration," which had its world premiere at this year's Cannes Film Festival.