‘Running Man’ goes to Philippines

“Running Man,” a popular variety show on SBS, will be exported to the Philippines, SBS announced Thursday.

The Korean broadcasting company said it signed an agreement recently with Global Media Arts Network in the Philippines to co-produce the show in the Southeast Asian nation. The show will work with local actors and TV personalities but use the unique competition-oriented format of the show.

“‘Running Man’ is not just a popular show in Korea, it is a global program,” said Felipe Gozon, CEO of the network, according to SBS. “We hope that the show we will produce together in the Philippines will be successful.”

“Running Man” is one of the most popular Korean TV shows among Southeast Asian viewers. Tickets to fan meetings with members of the show in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam last December and in Manila in January were sold-out.

In the Ho Chi Minh City meeting, the show’s main members including Yoo Jae-suk, Ji Suk-jin, Kim Jong-kook, Gary, Haha, Lee Kwang-soo and Song Ji-hyo met with 9,000 fans.

A live video of the fan meeting was watched by 5,000 users at the time.

The program will celebrate its 10th year anniversary this year. The organizers are planning on hosting a tour across Asia for the members to meet with fans.

The show has already been exported to Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, China and Japan.

By Esther Chung, Yonhap