BBC Picks Up K-Pop Competition Series

Made in Korea: The K-Pop Experience is set to air on BBC One and iPlayer this summer, following five boys from across the U.K. as they are put through the K-pop training process with the goal of launching a new boy band on the global stage.

A collaboration with K-pop talent powerhouse SM Entertainment and Kakao Entertainment America, the six-part series was filmed in South Korea and sees the boys immersed in K-pop culture and put through the original K-pop training process for 100 days. Cameras go behind closed doors at SM Entertainment for the first time to witness the band working with choreographers, singing songs from top-talent songwriters and being tutored by some of the most revered experts in the K-pop business.

Each week, the band’s progress is critiqued by K-pop expert Hee Jun Yoon, the creative force behind some of the biggest K-pop bands of the last 20 years.

Made in Korea: The K-Pop Experience is produced by Moon&Back Media, part of the team that developed and produced some of the world’s most-traveled formats, including Got Talent and The X Factor, and popular bands such as One Direction.

ITV Studios handles international distribution for both format and finished program.

Kalpna Patel-Knight, head of entertainment at the BBC, said: “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.”

Nigel Hall, co-founder of Moon&Back Media, said: “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 unrivaled rigors of the K-pop process, and launching them on the global stage is creating both a world-first and unmissable television.”

Daniel Jang, CEO of SM Entertainment, said: “Through this U.K. 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 U.K. but worldwide.”

Joseph Chang, co-CEO of Kakao Entertainment Corp., said: “This endeavor marks the first time we’ve utilized K-pop’s production expertise within the U.K., 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.”