‘We Got Married ― Global Edition’ Season 2 to air in April

Korean and foreign celebrities have joined hands to show viewers both at home and abroad what it is like to marry a person from another culture.

Major South Korean broadcaster MBC and SM Entertainment are jointly launching the second season of “We Got Married ― Global Edition” in April.

“We Got Married” is a television show that sets up celebrities in hypothetical marriages and shows how they live as “married couples” over the course of 15 episodes. The global edition of the show will feature both Korean and foreign celebrities who will appear in international marriages.

The upcoming season of the show will showcase two couples: Kim Hee-chul from boy group Super Junior and Taiwanese actress-singer Puff from Taiwanese girl group Dream Girls; and Key from SHINee and Japanese model Yagi Arisa, who can communicate in both English and Japanese.

The program aims to foster cultural exchange and mutual understanding by showing what happens in a hypothetical marriage between two stars who grew up with different backgrounds and cultures, according to MBC.

“Given that it is the ‘global’ edition, I am glad that I was able to share aspects of Korean culture with my partner and viewers as well as to show how different cultures interact together,” said Key from SHINee.

“We Got Married ― Global Edition” was first launched in 2013, in hopes of reaching beyond domestic viewers to foreign fans of the original show, according to the show’s producer, Yoo Ho-cheol.

“The original TV show ‘We Got Married’ gained popularity not only in Korea but also around the world,” said Yoo at a press conference on Thursday.

“Given such, we decided to launch a global edition of the show for non-Korean fans. The first season was received well, so we went ahead and produced season two,” he explained.

The first season of the show aired in more than 21 countries last year and featured two couples ― Taek-yeon from boy group 2PM and Taiwanese actress Wu Ying Jie; and Lee Hong-ki from boy band FT Island and Japanese actress Fujii Mina.

In comparison with the first season, the second season features a cast with wider age gaps. Kim Hee-chul is 12 years older than the show’s youngest starlet, Yagi Arisa, who is only 19.

Whereas the first season cast friend-like celeb couples who were similar in age, the second season shows sibling-like relationships between older males and younger females.

This year, the show will run alongside a separate spin-off program, WGM-TV, which will reveal behind-the-scenes clips and stories from the main show.

On a premium channel launched on YouTube, Amber from the South Korean girl group f(x) and Soryong from hip-hop duo Tasty will emcee the show in English, Korean and Chinese.

The first episode is scheduled to air on April 5 both domestically and internationally through local channels MBC Every1 and MBC Music, and various broadcastings stations in Asia and North America.

By Sohn Ji-young (jiyoung.sohn@heraldcorp.com)