TV shows offer virtual trips overseas during pandemic
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-todate 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 Hyunmoo, 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.
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.