June 26, 2023

Burning Sun: 1. The Phone Call

29 minutes

“I had no idea how big it was going to be….”

Journalist Park Hyo-sil gets a tip off that music and TV star, Jung Joon-young, is being investigated by police for secretly filming a woman during sex. We find out about Jung, his wholesome, attractive personality and wide popularity. And we meet one of his superfans whose whole life revolves around him. She, like many others, don’t want to believe the accusations against Jung.

So when Park publishes her story she encounters an extraordinary backlash. And it gets worse after the woman who made the allegation against Jung withdraws it and the police drop the case. Jung’s career goes from strength to strength. Except, someone has seen what’s on Jung’s phone…and it’s far worse than just one secret sex video. The contents of that phone will shake the K-pop world and South Korea.

For the first time, we give the definitive account of the sex scandals that brought down some of Korea’s biggest K-pop stars. It’s a tale of depravity, power and excess - hidden behind a facade of wholesome pop music.

Co-creator, presenter and writer: Chloe Hadjimatheou

Local Producer: Lee Hyun Choi

Assistant Producer and researcher: Loonie Park and Jeong-One Park

Translator and researcher: Jinny Yeon

Music: Tom Haines at Brain Audio

Sound Design: Carlos San Juan at Brain Audio

Co-creator and executive producer: Kavita Puri

ACTORS

Park Hyo-Sil: Julie Yoonnyung Lee

Oh Se-Yeon: Rosa Escoda

Jung’s accuser: Pricilla Chung

Jung Joon-Yung: J Sebastian Lee