South Korea Signs Up for Top Gear

SEOUL/LONDON: South Korean media group CJ Entertainment & Media has licensed the rights to launch its own version of BBC Worldwide’s hit motoring show Top Gear on its men’s lifestyle channel XTM.

The Korean version will be fronted by former race car driving pro Kim Jin-Pyo, car and bike enthusiast Kim Kap-Soo and Yeon Jung-Hoon, a member of the Korean celebrity racing circuit. The 13-part weekly series debuts in August. It will include popular elements from the original format, including the Stig, and its very own version of the Top Gear track and studio. The Korean deal follows the launch of a Chinese version, Zui Gaodong, on Hunan TV. Format deals have also been concluded in Australia, Russia and the U.S.

Adam Waddell, the managing director for Top Gear at BBC Worldwide, noted, “The Top Gear brand has a strong presence in South Korea, with the original U.K. version and the magazine already having successfully launched there. We’re delighted that South Korean viewers will get to see their own local version, with a unique Korean spin on an internationally renowned format.”