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Top Korean variety PD, Kang Ho-dong to reunite for Internet TV show

July 16, 2015
Na Young-seok (Yonhap)

Na Young-seok (Yonhap)

Kang Ho-dong, one of South Korea’s top television personalities, will reunite with variety producing director Na Young-seok in a new show to air online via cable network tvN.

The pair’s last project together was the wildly successful KBS program “1 Night 2 Days” four years ago.

According to Yonhap, CJ E&M announced Thursday Na has also cast Lee Seung-ki, another former “1 Night 2 Days” cast member.

Producers have been in talks with Kang and Lee for some time to attempt a new program format, CM E&M said.

“They have come to an understanding that they will be making digital content for the Internet, not for television,” CJ E&M said.

Showrunners are in talks with former “1 Night 2 Day” members Lee Soo-geun and Eun Ji-won, it said.

The announcement is raising eyebrows. The move to Internet TV with Na — arguably South Korea’s top variety PD alongside “Infinite Challenge” head Kim Tae-ho — may begin a new chapter in how Koreans view creative content.

Na, formerly a KBS PD, transitioned into a fledgling cable landscape in 2013 with “Grandpas Over Flowers,” which helped popularize the cable platform with record ratings.

Kang has been struggling to maintain his status as a top MC after seeing failures in programs “Moon Prince,” “Invisible Man” and “Stargazing.” The show is his first foray into cable from the three public broadcasting stations KBS, MBC and SBS, following in the footsteps of Yoo Jae-suk, who announced in June he would star in a new JTBC pilot.