Sequel planned to pioneer 'Korean Wave' TV show

SEOUL (AFP) - A South Korean TV station said on Tuesday it would produce a sequel to the historical drama, Jewel In The Palace, a pan-Asia TV hit that helped pioneer the "Korean Wave" of pop culture across the region.

MBC, which created the original series aired at home from 2003 to 2004, plans to produce and air the sequel next year, a station spokesman told AFP without giving details.

"The schedule to make the sequel is firmly in place, but talks are still underway on who will direct and which stars will appear in the show," he said. Mr Kim Jae Chul, the CEO of MBC, recently met with officials of China's Hunan TV, which syndicated the original show in China in 2005. The Chinese said they were hoping to invest in the upcoming project, said the spokesman.

"Chinese TV industry officials will visit Seoul later this year to discuss details of the project," he said. Loosely based on a folklore and originally titled Dae Jang Geum after its main heroine, the drama tells the tale of an orphaned royal kitchen cook in the ancient Joseon dynasty who went on to become the king's first female doctor.