The Chronicle

TV star Alexander in big Korea move

ARMSTRONG HEADING TO SEOUL FOR TRAVELOGUE

- By DANIEL HALL Reporter daniel.hall01@reachplc.com

A NEW three-part travelogue with Northumber­land-born TV presenter and Pointless star Alexander Armstrong has been announced.

The Rothbury-born TV presenter, who has family links to Cragside’s Lord Armstrong and is the president of Newcastle’s Literary and Philosophi­cal Society in Newcastle, will explore South Korea over three episodes for Channel Five.

It follows his previous series Iceland with Alexander Armstrong which aired last year and peaked at 1.9 million viewers.

During his travels he will explore much of what the country has to offer including the stunning Gyeongbokg­ung Palace, a K-Pop makeover and ultra-hi-tech cities where robots serve chicken in restaurant­s.

He will also visit the ‘poo’ cafe, where everything including the teacups is toilet inspired and explore the fad of Mukbang – madly eating online, as well as joining the original squid games on the streets.

Divided into North and South since 1953, the course of Korean history has been influenced by its location between two mighty neighbours of China and Japan - but despite this Korean culture has retained a distinctiv­e and unique quality of its own.

A nation of contrasts which is smaller than England, South Korea is deeply traditiona­l alongside being fast-paced, future tech savvy and forward thinking.

Armstrong aims to find out what makes the nation tick and how one of the liveliest, proudest and at times strangest nations packs such a punch.

He said: “Now we are free to roam beyond the green zone countries of pandemic restrictio­ns I felt it was time to burrow into somewhere truly – and excitingly – different.

“South Korea is a country which has leapt to cultural significan­ce in the last ten years and yet we still know so little about it.

“So my first suggestion when Channel Five asked if I’d like to make another travelogue was Seoul - and don’t spare the horses.”

 ?? ?? Alexander Armstrong who is presenting a travelogue on South Korea later in 2022
Alexander Armstrong who is presenting a travelogue on South Korea later in 2022

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