Korean TV group to start filming in CNMI soon

After a year of negotiation and lobbying for funding, the Marianas Visitors Authority has finally signed an agreement with a South Korean film production firm that will feature the islands in a television drama series.

The memorandum of understanding was executed Friday between MVA and Starmax Fly Entertainment Co. Ltd.

Under the agreement, MVA will provide half a million dollars in sponsorship for the project. The tourism agency, with the help of MVA members, will also offer in-kind support such as free hotel accommodation, ground transportation, meals, and special discounts for equipment and other services for the filming cast and crew.

In addition, Asiana will provide free air transportation for the production group.

In exchange, Starmax will feature Saipan, Tinian, and Rota in at least six of 20 episodes of its newest drama series, tentatively titled “Tango With You.”

Starmax also pledged to actively promote the islands as a tourist destination.

“I am very happy that this is finally going to happen. I expect this to have long-lasting benefits for our destination,” Kwang-Joong Kim, general manager of Asiana Airlines’ Saipan office, said in an interview Saturday.

He initiated the project and facilitated talks between MVA and the Korean production company.

Kim reported that some 80 to 100 cast and crewmembers would arrive on Saipan on the first week of June to start filming the TV program. They are expected to stay on island for three to four weeks.

Korea’s SBS Broadcasting is scheduled to air the drama series beginning July 28, 2006. Two episodes will be shown every Friday, during primetime.

The Northern Marianas is projected to gain some $24 million in economic benefit from the TV project.

Korean drama programs have a minimum of 24 percent viewership in Korea, which consists of 49 million people. These shows are also exported to other Asian countries such as Japan, where they enjoy 19 percent viewership; Taiwan, 24.5 percent; China, 18.6 percent; and Hong Kong, 3.3 percent.

There is also a growing demand in the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia for these kinds of television productions.

“This program will be shown in our target markets for several years—on TV and on video. Once this is aired, a lot of people will know where Saipan is and how beautiful our islands are,” Kim said.