Byeon Woo-seok, top stars investigate global K-content craze in 'The K'

What is it about Korean content that captivates fans worldwide?

A star-studded documentary series, featuring K-content powerhouses from rising actor Byeon Woo-seok to “Squid Game” star Lee Jung-jae, sets out to answer that question in a two-part series that airs April 7-8 on tvN.

"The K" adopts an interview-driven format built entirely around Q&A exchanges, bringing together voices from across Korea’s popular culture scene, related fandoms, and global academia.

The show unfolds across two episodes: “Why do you love K?” and “What is K?” In its first installment, figures from Korea’s entertainment industry act as interviewers, asking global audiences why they are captivated by Korean content. In the second, the format reverses, with fans posing questions about the drivers of K-content’s popularity and Korean figures responding.

Participants include leading figures behind the K-film and K-drama wave, including auteur Park Chan-wook ("No Other Choice"), screenwriter Kim Eun-hee ("Kingdom"), as well as actors Lee Jung-jae ("Squid Game"), Im Yoon-a ("Bon Appetit, Your Majesty"), Im Si-wan ("Squid Game"), Byeon Woo-seok ("Lovely Runner") and Arden Cho ("KPop Demon Hunters"). The lineup also features K-pop artists such as Sunmi, Onew of Shinee, Ateez, TWS and Izna.

Contributions from academia include author Bernard Werber and 2024 Nobel laureate in economic science James Robinson. Alongside them, CJ ENM said firsthand responses from international fans will offer a more layered view of the K-content phenomenon that has swept the globe.

According to CJ ENM, the series draws on findings from the Overseas Hallyu Survey (translated), conducted in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Foundation for International Cultural Exchange.

The survey was carried out online from November to December 2025, polling 27,400 respondents across 30 countries spanning the Asia-Pacific region, the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, all with prior experience consuming Korean cultural content.