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'Wholesome' South Korean reality TV proves a global hit
After films such as Oscar-winning "Parasite" and TV series including Golden Globe-bedecked "Squid Game" helped popularise K-content overseas, industry figures have said South Korea's high-quality reality shows may be next in line for domination.
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In this photo taken on February 18, 2023, Korean car dealer Jo Jin-hyeong, a contestant from the new Netflix show Physical: 100, laughs during an interview with AFP in Seoul. After films like Oscar-winning “Parasite“ and television series including Golden Globe-bedecked “Squid Game“ helped popularise K-content overseas, industry figures say South Korea's high quality reality shows may be next in line for domination.
(AFP /Anthony Wallace )
T
he challenge is straight from Greek mythology: hold a boulder aloft as long as possible. Korean car dealer Jo Jin-hyeong lasted over two hours, captivating global audiences in a reality show that could signal a new K-culture export success.
After films such as Oscar-winning "Parasite" and TV series including Golden Globe-bedecked "Squid Game" helped popularise K-content overseas, industry figures have said South Korea's high-quality reality shows may be next in line for domination.
"Physical: 100", the new Netflix show that gym buff Jo competed in, featured 100 men and women in prime physical condition, including South Korea's ex-Olympians and former special forces soldiers, performing absurdly difficult challenges.
It is the first unscripted series to top the streaming giant's non-English chart, building on the popularity of "Singles Inferno", a Korean dating show that became a sleeper hit worldwide last year.
Part of the charm of such shows is the contestants: Jo, who started hitting the gym as a weedy teenager and has never been a professional athlete, found he could hold his own against some of South Korea's strongest people.
The 41-year-old won one of the show's most brutal contests, the Greek myth-inspired "Punishment of Atlas" challenge, where contestants had to lift and hold a boulder that bodybuilder contestant Kim Kang-min estimated was at least 50 kilograms (110 pounds).
Jo managed two hours and 14 minutes.
