| A scene from an episode starring guests from Spain on the show "Hey! First Time in Korea" / Courtesy of MBC Plus |
Long-running Korean travel show offers new perspectives on Korea
By Lee Gyu-lee
The coronavirus pandemic created a lot of problems for many TV shows, especially travel shows facing closed borders between countries. MBC every1's hit travel reality show "Hey! First Time in Korea?," which has been running since 2017, was no exception, leading the production team to adjust its format from featuring people it invited from other countries to visit Korea to featuring local expats.
| Jang Jae-hyuk, chief producer of travel show "Hey! First Time in Korea?" / Courtesy of MBC Plus |
The show has formed a core fan base, featuring expats who are living in Korea, inviting their friends from back home to travel to and around the country. It has featured different guests from various countries and backgrounds, following their ups and downs of exploring an unfamiliar culture and food.
The chief producer of the travel show, Jang Jae-hyuk, shared that despite the show's six-year long run, it has made itself stand out among its competitors with its unique storytelling and fresh view of Korea's attractions through the visitors' journeys.
| An episode of "Hey! First Time in Korea?" featuring guests from Italy hit the highest viewership rating since the show's reboot. Courtesy of MBC Plus |
"A lot of reality shows have been going abroad since the COVID-19-induced travel restrictions were eased … When you flip the channels, you'll see celebrities and YouTube stars appearing on shows as they vacation abroad. But this is the only show where you can see foreign tourists having an authentic trip around Korea," Jang said in a recent written interview with The Korea Times.
"We also have the ability to bring non-celebrities from overseas to create a character and tell a story in a short period … Based on their short, five-day stay in Korea, we try to pull out the most interesting aspects of each guest's individual character and story. This is the secret to the long run and uniqueness behind 'Hey! First Time in Korea?,'" he said.
The guests of the show plan and organize their own trips around the country, to highlight the different travel styles of each tourist, for example, a New Zealander BTS fan's artist-themed tour as compared with the Michelin Star chefs' culinary tour.
The chief producer said following along with the guests going through new experiences that are already familiar to Koreans offers a new take on the country to local viewers.
"Koreans often undervalue themselves, thinking Korea is still a 'developing country,' although it is a developed country with top 10 GDP and is one of the economically powerful countries," Jang said.
"Featured guests from other countries, who've never visited Korea, plan their trips rather than taking guided tours and explore Korea in their own way. And on each authentic tour, the guests are surprised by Korea's characteristics like the city, landscape, food, technology and infrastructure. The elements that make Koreans proud and Korea interesting have been rediscovered through the show."
| Guests from the U.K. experience a Taekwondo class on "Hey! First Time in Korea?" / Courtesy of MBC Plus |
However, in a relatively small country, although there are so many places or things to do, most guests tend to plan trips around the capital city, Seoul.
Acknowledging there might be a repeating pattern in trips, Jang noted that the show will keep itself fresh by putting emphasis on focusing on the unique characteristics of each guest. And that is why the production team goes through a meticulous process to scout the guests.
"Foreign tourists traveling Korea is the core of the show so we can't change that. But it's also inevitable that the trips will follow a similar style, and Korea is geographically a small country … So the guests' unique qualities are the key thing to keep the show fresh," he said. "The most important thing we consider is if we can pull out and shape a character from these people and if they have a lot for us to work with in terms of storytelling."
When the pandemic swept across the world and closed the borders between countries, the show took a turn in its format to feature local expats, spotlighting their experiences of settling in Korea. Even after the show got back on track after two years, a spinoff pilot show was made in the new format.
| From left, the hosts of the show "Hey! First Time in Korea," Alberto Mondi, Lee Hyun-yi and Kim Jun-hyun / Courtesy of MBC Plus |
The chief producer revealed that the network is in process of launching the new format into a regular show, as well as expanding "Hey! First Time in Korea?" to take the stage outside Korea.
"We've continued to discuss a spinoff for the show and creating shows starring foreign guests. Currently, we are figuring out ways to produce the pilot show, which drew a positive response from viewers last winter, into a regular one for the latter half of this year," he said.
"Not only that, but we are also in the process of developing a format that expands the show's location from Korea to overseas. As 'Hey! First Time in Korea?' is one of the most popular shows of MBC every1, the network has decided that it will be effective to expand its content using the resources from our show. In the following matter, we would appreciate it if you stay tuned for the steps our show and our network will take in the future."
"Hey! First Time in Korea?" airs every Thursday at 8:30 p.m.