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Collaborations between older and younger generations are spreading across South Korea’s <a href="https://comicvibe.com/endemol-shine-brasil-and-globo-join-forces-to-co-create-major-global-entertainment-ip/” title=”Endemol Shine Brasil and Globo Join Forces to Co-Create Major Global Entertainment IP”>entertainment industry, from television dramas and films to pop music, producing new sensibilities and on-screen chemistry. Veterans including actor Choi Min-sik, singer Lee Seung-chul, actor Lee Seo-jin and the punk rock band No Brain are bridging age gaps of up to 40 years, exchanging their instincts and experience with younger artists to create synergy. In the past, such pairings centered on senior figures passing down experience and know-how. Now they have evolved into a method of combining the sensibilities and experience of different generations to produce new content, industry observers say.
Choi Min-sik, long known for his commanding screen presence, has recently been working with younger actors and expanding into a new chapter of his career. In the Netflix original “The Boy in the Last Row,” he starred opposite Choi Hyun-wook, born in 2002 and 40 years his junior. Choi Hyun-wook drew praise for holding his own with a resolute performance alongside the veteran actor. Rather than passing on his own experience or techniques, Choi Min-sik is said to have set the stage so that his younger co-star could perform freely.
In the film “The Intern,” he worked with Han So-hee, 29 years younger. Choi Min-sik plays a “senior intern,” while Han So-hee plays Seon-woo, the chief executive of a clothing company that posted 10 billion won ($7 million) in revenue three years after its founding. Choi Min-sik has mostly taken on boldly drawn roles, but here he won praise for portraying an older man rich in wisdom and experience. In a recent interview, Choi Min-sik said, “Choi Min-sik is still useful. Please use me a lot.” Observers said the remark conveyed both the concerns and the composure of a veteran actor.
Lee Seung-chul chose Woozi as the first partner in a duet project marking his 40th anniversary since debut. The new song “Our Own Story” was reflecting his deep respect for Lee’s four decades in music. During the writing process, Lee is said to have marveled at Woozi’s vocal skill and his interpretive command of the song. The pairing of two leading Korean vocalists from different eras has raised expectations for their harmonies and cross-generational chemistry
No Brain, the punk rock band marking its 30th anniversary this year, is also running collaboration projects with younger bands, beginning with Big Naughty and extending to The Green Flame Boys, Far East Asia Tigers and DAY6 members Sungjin and Dowoon. Under the format, younger artists reinterpret No Brain’s music. Sungjin and Dowoon recently drew a strong response for recasting “You Fell for Me,” one of No Brain’s signature hits, with a distinctive rock sound that spans generations.
On variety shows, too, the synergy between older and younger figures is emerging as a new narrative. On SBS (034120) “Genie, Make a Wish — Secretary Team,” Lee Seo-jin and Kim Kwang-kyu, with an average age of 56.5, meet members of Lisenne and others averaging 20.6 years old, drawing attention for the chemistry born of their generation gap. In Coupang Play’s “Wonhee Is Twenty,” ILLIT’s Wonhee meets figures of varying ages including Lee Eun-ji, Yeji, Chaeryeong, Eunchae, chef Kim Si-hyun and Patricia, in a show about learning from one another in everyday life.
Experts say the wave of collaborations is also tied to South Korea’s changing population structure. As the country enters a super-aged society, the content industry is finding it more important to connect the fan bases and sensibilities of different generations rather than catering to a single age group. “As more cases emerge of multiple generations consuming a single piece of content, rather than consumer bases dividing cleanly by generation, cross-generational collaboration carries industrial significance beyond simple generational integration,” an industry official said. “It can also be used as a strategy to extend the life of existing content and draw in new consumers by combining the name recognition and fan bases of different generations with their experience and fresh sensibilities.”
#KoreanEntertainment#ChoiMinsik#HanSohee#LeeSeungchul#NoBrain#KContent#Collaboration
Original reporting by Yeon Seung for Seoul Economic Daily.
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