Kim Jong-hak to produce pan-Asian blockbuster drama

Published on 2010/05/31 | Source

Korean TV production firm The ChainG Group Kim Jonghak Production (left) signs an MOU with Korea's Customs Service on May 28, 2010. [Kim Jonghak Production]

Famed television producer Kim Jong-hak is prepping to make a pan-Asian blockbuster drama about customs agents fighting various international crimes and organizations.

Kim's production company The ChainG Group Kim Jonghak Production signed an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) with Korea Customs Service on Friday to help develop his upcoming drama, tentatively titled "Tariff 125".

According to the MOU, Korea Customs Service will set up a Task Force team for the TV series who will work with Kim and his team in developing the story and shooting the drama.

An official at Korea Customs Service explained that the drama will introduce to Asian viewers easy-to-understand customs policies as the plot will cover customs services in China, Japan and Hong Kong.

The collaboration by the two parties is aimed to make the TV show much more realistic than existing dramas that deal with crime and intelligence.

Actors and a crew from major Asian countries including China, Japan and Korea will take part in the drama. The three countries are also said to be planning on financing the blockbuster production together.

Kim Jong-hak is known for his mega-scale dramas such as "The Legend" (MBC, 2007), which starred Hallyu star Bae Yong-joon, and "Sandglass" (SBS, 1995), which scored the highest viewership ratings in local television history.

"Tariff 125", currently in its planning stage and casting actors, is scheduled to go on air in the first half of 2011.