SM Entertainment’s First British Idol Group To Debut On BBC’s ‘Made In Korea: The K-pop Experience’

SM Entertainment has taken on a fresh undertaking.

On July 11, the BBC announced that SM Entertainment and Kakao Entertainment America have joined forces for the upcoming series, “Made in Korea: The K-pop Experience.”This six-part series will feature five male trainees from the United Kingdom.

According to sources, the five boys will go through the K-pop training process and will eventually come together to form a new international boy band. The program will document the experiences of these five trainees as they are fully immersed in the world of K-pop for a period of 100 days.

During this immersion, participants will have the opportunity to learn about choreography, vocals, and other elements that are integral to South Korea’s culture. The filming for this project was conducted in several different landscapes and locations throughout South Korea.

“The K-pop Experience,”produced by Moon&Back Media, showcased popular boy band One Direction and also featured the team behind hit shows like “Got Talent”and “The X Factor.”

Kalpna Patel-Knight, the Head of Entertainment at BBC, enthusiastically shared her excitement about the project, stating that “this one-of-a-kind acquisition will provide a glimpse into the rigorous journey of succeeding in the realm of K-pop.”

Nigel Hall, the Co-Founder of Moon&Back Media, viewed the show as an essential television program and believed that it would successfully merge the worlds of Kpop and global entertainment production.

SM Entertainment CEO Daniel Jang remarked, “We are excited about the potential synergy between SM Entertainment’s K-pop production capabilities and Moon&Back Media’s proficiency in creating music-focused television programs, as demonstrated by our collaboration on this UK boy group project.”

Joseph Chang, the Co-CEO of Kakao Entertainment, expressed that the upcoming project presents a valuable chance to showcase the group’s journey to a worldwide audience.

The Co-CEO also expressed excitement for the show, noting that it will bring a new era for K-pop and provide exceptional entertainment for music fans. “We are eager to witness the boy group’s debut and progress alongside our audience,”Chang concluded.

On November 16, 2023, SM Entertainment hosted a ceremony to commemorate the signing of a strategic agreement with Moon&Back Media, a K-pop pioneer. According to sources, the agreement outlines SM’s intention to invest in global music and intellectual property rights (IP).

At the ceremony, SM CEO Daniel Jang, CBO Jang Yoon Joong, CAO Lee Sung Soo, and Creative Director Kangta were all in attendance.

Conversely, the team representing Moon&Back Media included Music Director Ben Karter, as well as Co-CEOs Russ Lindsay, Nigel Hall, and Dawn Airey.

In addition, Russ Lindsay provided his own comment on the matter:

“We are thrilled to partner with SM Entertainment, one of the world’s leading entertainment companies.”

“We are confident that SM’s creative process and Moon&Back’s seasoned experience in global entertainment and curation will produce a TV series that will excite many music lovers around the world.”

Are you looking forward to SM Entertainment’s British idol group? Share your thoughts in the comments section!