SF Series with Shin Hakyun and Han Jimin Ushers in 7-Title Pact between CJ and Viacom

Yonder, the debut drama series of celebrated Korean filmmaker Lee Joonik, is set to become the first Korean series to air on the new Paramount+ streaming service. The show is part of a slate of six international scripted originals that will launch on the service. The deal was struck between TVING, the local producer of the show, and Paramount+’s parent company Viacom CBS.

Currently in production, Yonder is being financed by the CJ ENM-run streaming service TVING, where it will be made available later this year. The show will be carried as an original in Paramount+’s existing markets, which include Latin America, Canada and Australia, as well as the U.K. and Germany, Switzerland and Austria, where the service is scheduled to begin this summer. Paramount+ is also scheduled to launch in Korea this year, where it will be made available as an exclusive bundle on the TVING platform. 

Lee Joonik’s show will be the first of seven TVING programs that Viacom CBS is expected to co-finance and carry as Paramount+ originals. The move is part of a larger deal that was struck between CJ and Viacom late last year.

Director Lee is known for hit period dramas such as The King and the Clown (2005), the one-time top-grossing Korean film of all time, and continues to deliver commercially and critically successful titles, including last year’s award-winning black and white drama The Book of Fish. 

Lee’s first stab at sci-fi, Yonder is set in 2032 and tells the story of a man who receives a message from his deceased wife and goes to a place known as "Yonder" where he can be reunited with her. The series stars Shin Hakyun (Save the Green Planet, 2003) and Han Jimin (Miss Baek, 2018).