By Han Sang-hee
Staff Reporter
Major broadcasters are planning to air additional programs in tune with the Beijing Olympics, along with their broadcasts of the athletic competitions.
MBC, SBS and KBS are preparing features and will use famous newscasters who will guide the audience throughout the Games.
MBC has prepared programs under the theme ``The Fun Olympics.'' The broadcast will focus more on the preparation and entertaining aspects of the Games, bringing various cultural events and figures to the screen.
``The Dream of 100 Years'' will offer exclusive footage and interviews with actors Jackie Chan and Zhang Ziyi, along with hurdle champion Liu Xiang and table tennis champion Deng Yaping. Prepared for the last three months, ``The Dream'' will show what the Beijing Olympics mean to these famous stars and look into the international event through the eyes of China. ``The Dream'' will air at 7 p.m. Friday on MBC.
Renowned former Olympic athletes will also join and share their comments on the Games for fans. Former gold medallists Kim Soo-nyung, Bang Soo-hyun and Jang Ji-won will newscast archery, badminton and taekwondo, respectively, while silver medallist in handball Lim O-kyeong will offer her expertise to fans.
SBS also has a gold medallist cast of newscasters: marathoner Hwang Young-cho, wrestler Sim Kwon-ho and taekwondo athlete Moon Dae-sung. Kim Kyung-wook, the former gold medallist in archery who scored the ``perfect gold'' by breaking the camera lenses that were hidden in the middle of the target, will also join the newscast team.
``Dreaming of Beijing'' will offer a glimpse of South Korean judo athletes' journey toward the Olympics. That program will air at 11:05 p.m. tonight on SBS.
Broadcasters are also planning to air their programs and newscasts via Internet, making them the world's first high definition (HD) live broadcast on both television and the Internet.
KBS will cover the Games using two channels, KBS1 and KBS2.
``Instead of just bringing the festivity of the Olympics, KBS will try to focus on the athletes and their hidden efforts they have endured for the gold medal,'' an official from the KBS Olympics project team said.
The documentary ``Forever the Moment'' will show the lives of the South Korean women's handball team. Bearing the same title as the hit movie, actress Kim Jung-eun, who played one of the athletes in the film, will narrate the program. The documentary follows the journey of the handball team as its members strive to make it to the Beijing Olympics. ``Forever the Moment'' will air tonight at 11:50 p.m. on KBS1.