Finding yourself stressed out these days? Stuck at home with nowhere to go, worried about unemployment rates skyrocketing with what is one of the worst recessions since the Great Depression? Well, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed with so much uncertainty in front of us. Many of us like to travel to occasionally escape from the hustle and bustle such that even a short trip to JB helps us feel better. But since travelling is not an option now, one good way to “travel” is through these slow-paced Korean variety shows.
Usually filmed overseas or in the countryside, these Korean variety shows often bring forth a sense of healing and help to relieve people of their stress. Here are 7 slow-paced healing Korean variety shows to help you unwind after a long stressful day:
Twogether
‘Twogether’ is a variety show that brings together South Korea’s Lee Seung Gi and Taiwan’s Jasper Liu. The duo travels around Southeast Asia while visiting places recommended by their fans. In order to meet their fans in person, they must complete several missions while they explore the different sights.
Through Twogether, you’ll get to see the sights of some countries often visited by Singaporeans, such as Bali and Bangkok. Since most of us are unable to travel, relive some of your best travel memories or travel twogether with both Seung Gi and Jasper and take in some of the prettiest sights through Netflix.
Twogether is available on Netflix.
Hyori’s Bed & Breakfast
After Lee Hyori got married, she and her husband, Lee Sangsoon moved to Jeju. For the first time, their house is revealed to the public and is transformed into a bed and breakfast for groups of families and friends visiting Jeju.
In season 1, IU was there as a helper, while in season 2, YoonA from Girls’ Generation helped to manage the bed and breakfast. Through this show, you’ll get to experience the beauty of Jeju as well as some of the B&B guests’ stories.
Hyori’s Bed & Breakfast reflects a calming and beautiful side to living in the countryside. Full of healing and funny moments.
Experience both summer and winter of Jeju through season 1 & 2 of Hyori’s Bed & Breakfast.
Camping Club
Think natural heart-wrenching conversations around the members, cooking in a campfire setting, and sitting under an endless sea of stars.
Camping Club brings together the members of Fin.K.L for their 21st anniversary since debut. The members go camping around Korea in a camping car that took 60 days to make. The show brings you around the different areas of Korea that are not usually shown. From mountains to rivers, you’ll feel relaxed from the sights of nature.
Makes us want to go camping the next time we’re in Korea.
Naturally
The MBN Korean variety show features Eun Ji Won, Kim Jong Min, Jun In Hwa and Jo Byeong Gu relocating temporarily to the countryside. They are given their own house in the countryside where they can decorate it to suit their individual preferences.
With the main goal of enjoying the simple things in life, ‘Naturally’ will showcase the simple joys of being in the countryside.
Begin Again
Featuring some of the best musicians and singers from Korea, the team embarks on a trip to places around the world to… busk! In places where Korean music is unknown to many, these musicians showcase their beautiful voices and perform songs to crowds.
It is a show where you can see music overcoming barriers of language, and where feelings are being conveyed through songs and instruments.
Begin Again has four seasons – the most recent one was filmed in Korea and is currently airing now. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the crew is unable to travel overseas, hence, a domestic version of Begin Again.
Previous seasons featured artists such as Paul Kim, Taeyeon from Girls’ Generation, Yoo Hui Yeol, Henry and AKMU’s Lee Su-hyun.
Trans-Siberian Pathfinders
A group of 5 Korean actors take the Trans-Siberian railway from Vladivostock all the way to Moscow, Russia. A bucket list for lots of travellers, this variety show features the chemistry between the 5 friends and the sights and scenes along the Trans-Siberian railway.
If you’re thinking of taking the Trans-Siberian railway in the future, this Korean variety show also has lots of tips that could be useful for you in the future.
Embark on a journey with these 5 Korean actors!
Three Meals A Day – Mountain Village Edition
3 Meals A Day is a cooking variety show where the cast has to cook with natural ingredients found in the village. The mountain village edition features the amazing Yum Jung-ah and Yoon Se-ah who acted in Sky Castle, and Park So-dam who starred in the award-winning Parasite.
If you love nature and cooking, this is the show for you. Watch the cast gather ingredients straight from nature and cooking in a village setting.
Bonus: Korean Hostel in Spain
The team behind 3 meals a day also opened a hostel in Spain, where they serve homemade Korean dishes and provide a place to sleep for tired pilgrims. The hostel is located around the middle of the 800 km journey known as the Camino de Santiago as a resting area for hikers before they continue their journey.
Apart from the usual Korean variety shows, these slow-paced variety shows help us to discover the small joys in life and to appreciate nature more. While we might be unable to experience the places shown in these various programmes in person, there is a comfort knowing that we can experience these places through these variety shows.
For More Healing Variety Shows: Check out Part 2 of this article!
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