'SKY Castle' drama gets a Japanese remake

JTBC's black comedy series ″SKY Castle″ (2018-19) [SLL JOONGANG]

The Japanese version of JTBC's famed satire series "SKY Castle" (2018-19) will start airing in July as part of a partnership agreement between SLL JoongAng and Japan's TV Asahi.

The Japanese version will center around the high school admission process, unlike the Korean version, which focuses on the university admission process. This is to better reflect the reality of the Japanese education system, where high school admissions are considered more difficult and involve more parental participation, according to SLL JoongAng.

The shooting of the Japanese version of “SKY Castle,” featuring Japanese actors Nao Matsushita, Fumino Kimura and Koyuki, recently started, SLL JoongAng said Tuesday.

The remake is also the first collaboration between SLL JoongAng and TV Asahi since they signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in May. The two drama producers signed the MOU with the aim of jointly planning and developing drama series and other content to strengthen their global presence.

“We are happy to announce a meaningful collaboration news, following our partnership with TV Asahi,” Park Joon-suh, head of the production business unit at SLL JoongAng, said in a press release.

“Starting with the remake of ‘SKY Castle,’ we will continue on planning, developing and producing competitive works appealing to the global market in the future.”

"SKY Castle" garnered major popularity, showing the dark side of the Korean education system, such as the corruption of private education institutes. Fans of the show also created memes related to the series, sparking a "SKY Castle Syndrome" on social media.

The series notably reached a 23.8 percent viewership rating when it aired, a rare feat for a cable channel production.

BY KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]