9 Special Variety Programs Airing During the Lunar New Year

As the Lunar New Year approaches, many people in South Korea are on holiday in preparation for the traditional celebrations.

As a result, there are many special variety programs that will be airing over this time, ostensibly so that families can gather and watch them together. If the response to the pilot episode is good, then new programs may receive a greenlight to continue production.

1. MBC’s “Future Diary”

This variety program takes various celebrities on a trip through time so that they might live one day in the future they imagine for themselves. In a hint of what might be going down in the show, soccer player Ahn Jung Hwan can be seen receiving extensive makeup to transform himself into an 80-year-old grandfather.

“Future Diary” will air on February 8 at 8:30 p.m. KST.

2. SBS’s “Boss Is Watching”

As many as 140 idols appeared on this ambitious project along with their agency representatives in order to decide the top idol group of them all. The stars participated in a number of athletic, musical, and comic challenges in order to win over the hearts of their judges.

“Boss Is Watching” aired February 6.

3. KBS2’s “We Are Siblings”

On this program, celebrities show their siblings off to the world. EXID’s Hani and comedian Yoo Min Sang will appear with their brothers while actress Gong Seung Yeon and TWICE’s Jungyeon team up in the ultimate sister duo. Actors and siblings Kim Ji Young and Kim Tae Han will also be appearing.

“We Are Siblings” will air over February 8 and 9 at 8:30 p.m. KST.

4. MBC’s “Idol Star Athletics Championships”

This program typically airs twice a year, once at Chuseok and once at the Lunar New Year. This is its seventh year running and features idols participating in various athletic events such as track and field, wrestling, futsal, and archery.

“Idol Star Athletics Championships” will air over February 9 and 10 at 5:55 p.m. KST.

5. SBS’s “Gathering the Stars of Eating” (literal title)

This program features Lee Gook Joo, Kim Shin Young, Kim Min Kyung, and Hong Yoon Hwa as they participate in a “mukbang,” or eating broadcast, and have a little friendly competition with one another to determine who is the top star of food.

It will air on February 8 at 5:50 p.m. KST.

6. KBS2’s “Language Master”

This program gathers the best talkers of various industries and pits them against each other in a survival show that aims to select the king of talk shows. Best friends Jo Se Ho and Nam Chang Hee will be pairing up for the program.

It will air on February 10 at 5:30 p.m. KST.

7. SBS’s “Vocal War: Voice of God”

This program pits amateur but highly talented vocalists against professional singers to see who can emerge on top.

It will air on February 10 at 6 p.m. KST.

8. MBC’s “Lee Kyung Gyu’s Cooking Expedition”

Featuring veteran MC Lee Kyung Gyu, this program was an outdoor cooking competition where celebrities were dispatched to various regions in the country to bring back the region’s best ingredients. Pairing up in a team with professional chefs, they were required to create a new recipe within 100 minutes.

The program aired over February 6 and 7 at 8 a.m. KST.

9. KBS2’s “National Idol Singing Contest: Distant Relatives”

A spinoff of the program “National Idol Singing Contest” (which is also related to “National Singing Contest”), idols create interesting performances with their relatives or acquaintances. As many as 60 teams participated in the preliminary recordings alone.

The show will air on February 8 at 5:10 p.m. KST.

Which ones have you seen? Which ones are you looking forward to?

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