''Now On My Way to Meet You'' () is a South Korean

variety show Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical theatre, musical performances, sketch comedy, magic (illusion), magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is ...

which has been running on Channel A since December 4, 2011. It is part

talk show A talk show (or chat show in British English) is a television programming or radio programming genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Show ...

, part

talent show A talent show is an event in which participants perform the arts of singing, dancing, lip-syncing, acting, martial arts, playing an instrument, poetry, comedy or other activities to showcase skills. Many talent shows are performances rather ...

, and part

beauty pageant A beauty pageant is a competition that has traditionally focused on judging and ranking the physical attributes of the contestants. Pageants have now evolved to include inner beauty, with criteria covering judging of personality, intelligence, ...

. The show is broadcast on Sunday nights at 11:00 PM over cable television, and is shot in

Goyang Goyang (''Goyang-si''; ) is a city in Gyeonggi Province in the north of South Korea. It is part of the Seoul Capital Area, making Goyang one of Seoul's satellite cities. It is one of the largest cities in the Seoul Capital Area, with a populatio ...

, a

satellite city Satellite cities or satellite towns are smaller municipalities that are adjacent to a principal city which is the core of a metropolitan area. They differ from mere suburbs, subdivisions and especially bedroom communities in that they have mun ...

northwest of

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

Format

When the show first aired, it was intended to be reuniting defectors with their estranged relatives. Episodes were shot at people's homes or in restaurants. The show never facilitated such reunions, and quickly changed format to a variety show shot in a "glitzy game-show-type set". The guests are generally young female

North Korean defectors Since the division of Korea after the end of World War II, North Koreans have fled from the country in spite of legal punishment for political, ideological, religious, economic, moral, personal, or nutritional reasons. Such North Koreans are re ...

(dubbed by the producers as "defector beauties") who discuss their experiences in both North and South Korea. They discuss topics including the North Korean lifestyle, products, and food. The guests are questioned by four male panelists, and perform comedy sketches, songs, and dance. As of 2019, about 400 North Korean defectors have appeared on the show. The most famous defector participant has been activist

Yeonmi Park Yeonmi Park ( ko, 박연미; born 4 October 1993) is a North Korean defector and activist whose family fled from North Korea to China in 2007 and settled in South Korea in 2009, before moving to the United States in 2014. Her family turned to ...

Reception and coverage

The show has been credited by the North Korean defector guests with changing the perception that South Koreans have of North Korean defectors and taking the stigma out of being a North Korean defector, but also criticized by defectors for exaggerating or falsifying negative aspects of life in the north to gain viewers. In April 2017, ''

Unreported World ''Unreported World'' is a British foreign affairs program made by ITN Productions and broadcast by Channel 4 in the United Kingdom. Over the course of its forty-two seasons, reporters have travelled to dangerous locations all over the world i ...

'' produced a documentary about the show, hosted by

Seyi Rhodes Seyi Rhodes (born 4 May 1979) is a British television presenter and investigative journalist of Nigerian descent. He has worked for the BBC, Channel 4 Television, Five Television and Current TV. From 2008, he has been the in-vision presenter ...

Format

Reception and coverage

See also

References

Further reading