When media strategist Kwon Ho-jin walks into the Grimaldi Forum this June for the 65th Monte-Carlo Television Festival, he won’t just be another industry observer. He’ll be the first person from Asia to have judged all four major international television competitions—International Emmy Awards, Series Mania, Banff World Media Festival, and now Monte-Carlo. For travelers who plan Seoul trips around Squid Game filming locations or book Jeju flights after watching Our Blues, this appointment signals something concrete: Korean creators now sit at the table where global TV storytelling gets validated.
What This Means for Korean Television
Kwon, who has worked at SBS Media Group for over 30 years, represents the generation that built Hallyu 1.0—the wave that gave us Winter Sonata and Dae Jang Geum. His presence on the Monte-Carlo jury (June 12-16 in Monaco) marks a tangible shift: Korean content has moved from being evaluated to doing the evaluating. The festival, founded in 1961, remains one of the world’s longest-running TV competitions. This year’s opening night features The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 3, with Kurt Russell and Kristin Scott Thomas receiving Crystal Nymph Awards.
Why Travelers Should Pay Attention
If you’ve visited Daehanmun Gate after The Glory or lined up for convenience store ramyeon like your favorite K-drama character, you’re part of the ecosystem Kwon helped build. His influence on which stories get told—and how—directly affects which Korea you see onscreen. When industry gatekeepers understand Korean narrative structure, more nuanced stories get exported, which means richer context for the locations you visit. The Ikseon-dong hanok cafes aren’t just Instagram backdrops when you’ve seen them in Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha; they’re narrative spaces.
- Festival context: Monte-Carlo focuses on television drama, documentary, and news—not streaming or web series, which means traditional broadcast storytelling still drives international reputation
- Industry impact: Kwon’s board position at the Korean Association for Broadcasting Studies means his festival insights will likely shape Korean media policy discussions
- For location scouts: Festivals like Monte-Carlo validate which Korean production styles attract global co-production money, affecting where future shows get filmed (more boutique Jeju resorts, fewer generic Seoul apartments)
- Timing: The festival runs June 12-16, 2025—if you’re planning a Monaco-Seoul trip combo, Korean media outlets typically cover festival outcomes heavily in late June
This appointment won’t directly change your Seoul itinerary, but it’s a useful barometer: when Korean voices judge global TV, the stories that shape your perception of Korea become less exotic-outsider and more insider-authentic. That matters when you’re deciding whether that hanok guesthouse in Bukchon is worth the stairs.
