BBC acquires ‘Made in Korea: The K-Pop Experience’ bootcamp reality show for U.K. audiences

The BBC has acquired the six-part reality series "Made in Korea: The K-Pop Experience" for U.K. audiences. This series will follow five U.K. contestants as they undergo a 100-day K-pop training course in South Korea, with the goal of forming the world’s next major boy band.

“Cameras go behind closed doors at SM Entertainment for the first time to witness the band working with the world’s greatest choreographers, singing songs from the best songwriters, and being tutored by some of the most revered experts in the K-pop business,” the series logline reads. The contestants will experience intense lessons in choreography, voice, and performance, and will also receive life coaching.

Hee Jun Yoon, a prominent K-pop mogul who has overseen some of South Korea’s biggest bands over the past two decades, will oversee and critique the contestants’ progress. The series is a creation of Moon&Back Media, known for their work on “The X Factor” and with bands like One Direction, in collaboration with SM Entertainment and Kakao Entertainment America.

Kalpna Patel-Knight, head of entertainment at the BBC, expressed excitement about the series: “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, added, “‘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 unrivalled rigours of the K-pop process, and launching them on the global stage is creating both a world first and unmissable television.”

The show will premiere on BBC One and iPlayer this summer, with ITV Studios handling international distribution for both the format and the series.