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| ▲ This still of Disney+ original survival show "Battle of Fates" is provided by the OTT giant. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
SEOUL,
Nov. 17 (Yonhap) --
According to the broadcasting industry, global streamer Disney+ is producing the original survival show "Battle of Fates" for release in the first half of next year. The program centers on Korean shamanistic beliefs and related practices.
Created by the team behind Netflix’s original variety show "Chef’s Challenge: Black vs. White", the new survival series brings together 49 practitioners of fortune-telling — including shamans, saju readers, face-reading experts and tarot specialists — who take on various missions to test their fate.
While familiar to Koreans, the theme of K-shamanism remains relatively new to global audiences, allowing the show to establish a distinct identity.
K-shamanism refers to the growing popularity of content inspired by Korea’s traditional shamanistic practices (musok) in popular culture. Films and shows blending occult or supernatural themes — such as "Exhuma", "K-pop Demon Hunters", and the variety program "Possessed Love" — have drawn global attention, emerging as a new trend within K-culture.
A rising number of foreign tourists visiting Korea are also seeking out saju readings and shamanistic experiences they encountered through Korean content, a trend producers sought to reflect in planning the show.
Disney+ said the program represents “an attempt to pioneer a new realm of entertainment by creating a survival show built around K-shamanism, which is gaining worldwide interest.”
The industry’s embrace of broader K-culture themes follows the global success of shows centered on K-food and K-beauty.
Last year’s "Chef’s Challenge: Black vs. White" — a culinary survival program in which self-taught “black-spoon” cooks challenged top star chefs — enjoyed immense popularity. Dishes created by local Korean cooks, such as a school cafeteria chef with 15 years of experience in South Gyeongsang Province and a knife-cut noodle vendor from Seoul’s Kyungdong Market, drew major attention along with their personal stories. This boosted global interest in K-food.
Shortly after release, the show recorded strong viewership not only in Korea but also in Canada, Germany, Brazil, Australia and the United States, becoming the first Korean Netflix variety show to top the global non-English TV chart for three consecutive weeks.
More recently, Coupang Play’s survival show "Just Makeup", released on Oct. 3, blended K-beauty with competition and sparked a sensation among global “makeup enthusiasts.”
Featuring top Korean makeup artists who already work with K-pop idols and actors, alongside renowned overseas makeup experts and beauty creators, the show rode the momentum of K-beauty’s international popularity. It ranked No. 1 on Coupang Play’s popularity chart for five straight weeks and entered the top 10 on OTT charts in seven foreign countries.
The program also played a key role in helping Coupang Play rise to No. 2 in monthly active users among domestic OTT platforms last month, following Netflix.
In the beauty industry and financial sector, expectations have grown that the show will positively influence Korea’s cosmetics sector in the fourth quarter.
Orin-ah, an analyst at LS Securities, said, “Search traffic and sales of K-beauty products on Amazon are already outperforming the average, so exposure through the program is highly likely to translate directly into increased traffic and sales.”
Traditionally, Korean survival shows have centered on universal themes, such as music or sports, focusing largely on competition and conflict among participants.
But industry officials say that using more distinctively Korean cultural motifs not only differentiates a program from existing formats but also helps promote K-culture itself.
A global OTT official noted, “With survival shows based on hip-hop and K-pop reaching saturation, the entertainment industry needs fresh material. Survival shows built around new K-culture elements — such as makeup or shamanism — can offer something truly new to audiences worldwide.”
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