Top Gear Korea

Top Gear Korea (Korean: 탑 기어 코리아) is the South Korean adaptation of BBC's popular Top Gear show. Officially announced on 21 June 2011, the show follows a similar format with the British version and season 1 included 3 presenters: singer and professional driver Kim Jin-pyo (김진표), actor Yeon Jung-hoon (연정훈), and actor Kim Kap-soo (김갑수).[1] It premiered on cable channel XTM on 20 August 2011.

Top Gear Korea
Top Gear Korea title card
GenreMotoring
Directed bySeo Seung-han
Presented byKim Jin-pyo (2011–)
Yeon Jung-hoon (2011–2012)
Kim Kap-soo (2011)
Jo Min-ki (2012)
Park Jun-gyu (2012)
Ryu Si-won (2013)
Danny Ahn (2013–2014)
Alex Chu (2013-2014)
Yoo Kyung-wook (2014-2015)
Ahn Jung-hwan (2016–)
Hong Jong-hyun (2016–)
Park Young-woong (2016–)
"The Stig" (Bil Li-ship)
Opening theme"Jessica"
Ending theme"Jessica"
ComposerDickey Betts
Country of originRepublic of Korea
United Kingdom
Original languageKorean language
No. of series7
No. of episodes71
Production
Running time60 minutes
Production companyCJ E&M
BBC
Release
Original networkXTM, TVN
Picture format(HDTV) 1080i
Original release20 August 2011 (2011-08-20) –
present
Chronology
Related showsTop Gear (2002 TV series)
Top Gear (USA)
Top Gear Australia
Top Gear Russia
External links
Production website

The show uses a circuit in Ansan city, which is not used for racing but just for tests and social events, as the main test facility and the Power Lap Time. It was built for a Champ Car event that was cancelled less than three weeks before it was to have been held. Korea International Circuit, the venue of the Korean Grand Prix and Taebaek Racing Park are used for some episodes.

History

The first season aired from 20 August – 30 December 2011.[2] Met with both positive and negative reviews, the show had a peak viewership rating of 1.28%, considered to be quite good for Korean cable.[3]

Presenters and The Stig of Top Gear Korea Season 2.

The second season aired from 8 April 2012 to 17 June 2012. Kim Kap-soo was replaced by actor Jo Min-ki (조민기).[4][5]

The third season (titled Top Gear Korea New Season) aired from 7 October – 16 December 2012. Jo Min-ki was replaced by actor Park Jun-gyu (박준규). In one of the episodes, presenter Kim Jin-pyo drove a Chevrolet Spark through a 360-degree vertical loop.[6]

A serious incident occurred during filming of the fourth season, in which a helicopter crashed into the Arizona desert. As part of a racing sequence between a Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR1 and a Bell AH-1 Cobra helicopter, the car and the helicopter would race alongside each other to the finish line. During a practice run, as they reached the finish line, the aircraft wheeled around 180° before impacting the ground. Nobody was seriously injured.[7][8] The BBC posted the video online, both in its unaltered state and open-captioned in English, the show is part of their franchise and is co-produced by the company.

Guests

Guests are featured each week in the Star Lap Time segment, akin to Star in a Reasonably Priced Car. The car driven in this segment is the Volkswagen Golf.

Season One
Celebrities Notes
Kim Su-roKim Su-ro's timing was 2:07.06. He was the first celebrity to be featured in this segment.
Kim Ok-binKim Ok-bin's timing was 2:00.56.
2AM’s Jo Kwon and SeulongJo Kwon's timing was 2:08.36, while Seulong's timing was 2:04.56.
Alex
H.O.T's Tony An and Moon Hee-junTony's timing was 2:01.16, while Moon Hee-jun's timing was 1:58.93.
Ahn Jae-moAhn Jae-mo's timing was 1:57.00.
Lee Won-jongLee Won-jong's timing was 2:01.96.
BoomBoom's timing was 1:59.83.
Kim Min-joon
Lee Se-changLee Se-chang's timing was 1:57.83.
HahaHaha's timing was 2:00.53.
Huh GakHuh Gak's timing was 2:01.16.

Season Two
Episode Celebrities Notes
Episode 1Lee Sung-jaeLee Sung-jae's timing was 2:02.15.
Episode 2Song Seon-mi
Episode 3Koyote's Shinji and BbaekaBbaeka's timing was 2:03.02.
Episode 4Ryu Soo-young
Episode 5g.o.d's Danny AhnDanny's timing was 1.58.07.
Episode 64Minute's Kim Hyun-a and Heo Ga-yoonGa-yoon's timing of 2:00.15 makes her the fastest female celebrity on the show for Seasons 1 - 3.
Episode 7g.o.d's Son Ho-youngSon Ho-young's timing was 1:57.06.
Episode 8Lee Chun-heeLee Chun-hee's timing was 1:59.05.
Episode 9Park Jun-gyuPark Jun-gyu's timing was 1:59.11.
Episode 10SISTAR's BoraBora's fellow group member Dasom appeared on the show but did not drive.[9]

Season Three
Episode Celebrities Notes
Episode 1Yoo Seung-hoYoo Seung-ho's timing of 1:58.20 made him the fastest driver of season 3.
Episode 2Choi Yeo-jinChoi Yeo-jin's timing was 2:01.24.
Episode 3Kim Hee-won
Episode 4Park Eun-jiPark Eun-ji's timing was 2:13.13.
Episode 6Kim Jung-taeKim Jung-tae's timing was 2:01.28.
Episode 7Kim So-eunKim So-eun's timing of 2:01.19 made her the 3rd fastest female participant, after Heo Ga-yoon and Kim Ok-bin.
Episode 9Jung Jun-ha

Season Four
Episode Celebrities Notes
Episode 1Kim Min-jongKim Min-jong's timing was 2:01.22.
Episode 2Park Shin-hyePark Shin-hye's timing was 2:00.14.
Episode 5Lee JungLee Jung's timing was 1:55.25.

References
  1. Joseph, Noah (24 June 2011). "Top Gear global conquest continues with South Korean series". Autoblog.com. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  2. Wicks, Kevin (25 August 2011). "Top Gear Thursday: 'Top Gear Korea' Launches, My Little Pony Mashup Goes Viral | Anglophenia". BBC America. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  3. Shin, Jieun (23 August 2011). "South Korea's version of the hit U.K. TV series Top Gear debuted at the weekend". WSJ Blog. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  4. Hea, Jung-min (5 April 2012). "Yeon Jeong Hun Reveals Top Gear Korea is Stronger Than Ever". enewsWorld. CJ E&M. Retrieved 28 December 2012.
  5. Oh, Mi-jung (6 May 2012). "Top Gear Korea Holds a Luxurious Drag Race Worth 1,500,000,000 Won". enewsWorld. CJ E&M. Retrieved 28 December 2012.
  6. Kim, Tae-jong (20 March 2013). "Man in fast lane: Kim Jin-pyo aims to add Korean flair to the show". The Korea Times. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
  7. "WPR12LA107 - General Aviation Accident Report". NTSB. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  8. Miersma, Seyth (11 February 2013). "Helicopter crashes on Top Gear Korea set while chasing Corvette ZR1". Autoblog.com. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  9. Ho, Stewart (14 June 2012). "SISTAR's Bora Gets Her Driving Assessed on Top Gear Korea 2". enewsWorld. CJ E&M. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
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