Daniel Dae Kim hosts CNN series on rise of Korean culture

Actor Daniel Dae Kim hosts "K-Everything: The Global Rise of Korean Culture," a new CNN series premiering Saturday that traces how South Korea became a global force in food, film, beauty and music.

The series — airing on CNN International, CNN and HBO Max — arrives as Korean cultural exports have reshaped global entertainment, offering Korean Americans, including the sizable Korean diaspora in Orange County, a guided account of how a war-torn peninsula became a cultural powerhouse in three generations.

Kim, born in South Korea but raised in the United States from age 1, described the show's ambition in an interview with The Korea Times. "It's an examination of how Korea has risen in the course of three short generations from a war-torn third world country to one of the most modern places in the world," he said. "We'll take a look at how that's happened through food, through cinema, through beauty products and through music."

The series spans four chapters: K-food, featuring a kimchi festival in Pyeongchang; K-film, with actor Lee Byung-hun; K-pop, with Psy and BigBang member Taeyang as well as songwriters of the Oscar-winning song "Golden"; and K-beauty. Kim told The Korea Times the show is designed to be accessible rather than academic. "For those who've never been to Korea, this is a nice introduction in a way that is not something taught in a classroom or in a textbook," he said.

For the K-beauty episode, Kim underwent salmon sperm DNA microinjections at a Seoul clinic — one of the more unusual procedures he has tried on camera. He emerged with only minor redness. "I look like a got a little sunburn and a little redder than usual, but it's not bad. OK, I'm camera ready," he said, according to The Korea Times.

Kim, known for the series "Lost" and a recent Tony Award nomination, told The Korea Times he was inspired by the late Anthony Bourdain's approach to cultural storytelling. "I wouldn't say that this show is as irreverent as Anthony Bourdain's show was, but I loved it because I felt like he was showing me his take on each country and he was a trusted guide," he said. "If I can be that for some people then that's the spirit that I'd like to bring into this show."

The actor added that he hopes the program can help reduce anti-Asian sentiment through cross-cultural understanding. "If we can start to understand one another a little bit better through culture, then I think it is one step toward bringing together a global community," he said. "And I think the world could use a little more understanding in general."

"K-Everything: The Global Rise of Korean Culture" premieres Saturday on CNN International and is available on CNN and HBO Max.