VIDEO KBS to launch ssireum competition program in November

KBS will launch a ssireum competition for lightweight wrestlers. Capture from YouTube account of KBS N

By Dong Sun-hwa

Rising exponents of ssireum, traditional Korean wrestling, will go head to head in November on the KBS TV program tentatively titled “I am a Wrestler,” reports said Tuesday.

The national broadcaster will hold the ssireum competition for lightweight wrestlers (who weigh less than 90 kilograms) to single out a winner. It will also cover the players' daily lives, disclosing how they manage themselves.

The program will reportedly remind viewers of Mnet's survival reality show “Produce 101,” in which dozens of idol trainees competed to become top rankers.

The decision to launch “I am a Wrestler” came after some lightweight wrestlers shot to fame online. A YouTube video featuring the final match of Kim Won-jin and Hwang Chan-seob in 2018 belatedly became a hot talking point, garnering more than 1.5 million views as of Tuesday.

Watch the clip:

bit.ly/2o24AUh

The Korea Ssireum Association will join forces with KBS for the production.