| A poster for Channel S' new travel show / Courtesy of Channel S |
By Lee Gyu-lee
Reality shows featuring its cast members traveling overseas, such as "Battle Trip" and "Grandpas Over Flowers," used to be common in the Korean entertainment scene.
However, when the coronavirus started to sweep across the world in early 2020, such TV shows experienced a major crisis as many countries put up barriers to restrict overseas travelers. KBS' travel show, "Battle Trip," ended its four-year run in April of that year, and other shows like "Salty Tour" and "Youn's Stay" turned to local spots for production.
Now, about two years into the pandemic, travel shows are reappearing, but this time, to offer virtual trips abroad.
JTBC launched a six-part pilot show, "Talk Pawon," earlier last month, which kicked off with a 2.6-percent viewership rating. The show invites Koreans who are living in different countries, like Italy, France, Japan and the United States, as foreign correspondents.
The "correspondents" share up-to-date scenes and stories of the country that they are living in, as well as guided tours of famous spots there.
As they share these glimpses of other countries, the hosts ― Jun Hyun-moo, Kim Sook, Lee Chan-won and Yang Se-chan ― join them from the studio in Korea together with foreign TV personalities, like Alberto Mondi from Italy and Takuya from Japan, who help to fill in the background and other information from their localized perspectives.
| Scenes from JTBC's show, "Talk Pawon" / Courtesy of JTBC |
The show was extended to 12 episodes after airing the first three.
Hong Sang-hoon, the producer of the show, said that he came up with the show to offer firsthand, close-up views of other countries during the pandemic.
"It started with the idea to see what other countries are like during this time of the coronavirus pandemic through the eyes of people who live there," he said through the network. "And if the footage were taken by Korean expats or students rather than by professional camera staff, I thought it would offer more vivid experiences to viewers."
He added that viewers welcomed the show, as there hasn't been an overseas travel show for a while. "Travel shows have been loved by viewers. And as there hasn't been much since the pandemic, the viewers are responding to our concept as they can enjoy an up-close experience of foreign countries from their home," he said.
Another travel show that will offer a virtual tour around the world is set to debut on March 17.
The production crew of "Battle Trip" teamed up again for the Channel S new show, "Map to Travel Back" (direct translation).
The show will feature various YouTubers, including those living abroad and those who specialize in traveling to different countries. It will share videos the YouTubers shot during recent travels and invite them to talk about their experiences.
The hosts, actor Kim Ji-seok and comedian Kim Shin-Young, along with guests such as popular YouTubers and other experts, will share their knowledge of the country.