[Sportschosun reporter Kim Jun-seok] JTBC's flagship web variety show "Hal Myung-soo," hosted by entertainer Park Myung-soo, has abruptly suspended filming.
The financial crisis at its parent company, JoongAng Group, appears to have spread to its entertainment programs as well.
According to a report by Ilgan Sports on the 30th, the production team of JTBC digital content "Hal Myung-soo" recently informed Park Myung-soo and the rest of the cast that one scheduled recording would be canceled.
"Hal Myung-soo" has been filmed every other week, and under the original schedule, filming was set to take place that day. However, the production team suddenly announced the cancellation, forcing a change to the filming schedule.
For now, the show has only been told to take a one-week break from filming, but the next recording schedule has also not yet been finalized. As a result, attention is turning to the program's future direction.
Viewers are not expected to feel the gap immediately. Since previously filmed episodes remain, new episodes will continue to be released every Friday at 5:30 p.m. through July, as before.
In response, JTBC said, "It is true that a recent recording was canceled," but added, "No future plans have been finalized yet."
Since its first release in August 2020, "Hal Myung-soo" has remained one of JTBC's signature web variety shows for six years. Park Myung-soo meets a wide range of stars to present talk segments, mukbang, and experience-based content, and the show currently has 1.72 million YouTube subscribers.
Industry observers say the filming suspension is likely linked to the recent financial troubles involving JTBC and affiliates of JoongAng Group. One source said, "I understand that filming is being paused for now because the company needs to reorganize due to internal issues."
Recently, it was also reported that the JTBC drama "Love Revisited," which had been scheduled for the network's lineup, had halted filming after its cast was announced, raising concerns about production disruptions.
Earlier, JTBC declared a default on the 12th after failing to repay about 20.6 billion won in securitized borrowings at maturity.
After that, JoongAng Holdings, Jungang P&I, ContentreeJoongAng, and Megabox Joongang each filed for court receivership, and JTBC also applied for rehabilitation proceedings while requesting an Autonomous Restructuring Support Program.
The court accepted JTBC's request for the Autonomous Restructuring Support Program and has postponed its decision on whether to begin rehabilitation proceedings until the 30th of next month.
Attention is now focused on whether the suspension of filming for "Hal Myung-soo" will remain a temporary measure or lead to a longer-term adjustment in production schedules.
narusi@sportschosun.com
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