Curious Story Y
Overview
Curious Story Y (궁금한 이야기 Y) is a current affairs and investigative program broadcast by SBS in South Korea. Since its first broadcast on October 10, 2014, it has conducted in-depth reporting on a wide range of matters, including unsolved cases based on true stories, disappearances, crimes, social conflicts, corporate corruption, and internet crimes. The 'Y' in the title symbolizes 'Why,' reflecting the production intent of asking about the causes and truth of cases.
Main Content
Planning Intent and Characteristics
Curious Story Y does not merely list cases but reconstructs the full story based on tips and reporting. It combines reenactment dramas, interviews with parties involved and witnesses, expert analysis, and on-site tracking to aid viewers' understanding. In particular, tips from ordinary citizens serve as important investigative clues for the program, and there are cases in which tips received after broadcast contributed to resolving cases.
Broadcast Time and Format
It airs mainly in the Friday night time slot on SBS TV. Each episode covers one or two major cases, and in some cases it provides continuing or follow-up reports. It is a format combining studio hosting and field reports, and narration summarizes the flow of the case. Some episodes are organized as 'tip disclosure' specials produced based on viewer tips.
Main Subjects
- Unsolved and missing-person cases: It reexamines long-unsolved murder and disappearance cases and requests new tips.
- Social crimes: It covers crime types that change with the times, such as voice phishing, jeonse fraud, dating violence, stalking, and digital sexual crimes.
- Corporate and organizational corruption: It investigates power- and organization-related corruption, including unfair dismissal, embezzlement, abuse of power, and illegal loans.
- Human drama: It sheds light on the stories of socially vulnerable people, including family conflicts, neighbor disputes, and welfare blind spots.
- Overseas cases: It sometimes conducts local reporting on cases involving Koreans abroad or international crimes.
Production Method and Impact
The program is produced by a team including producers, writers, reporters, and camera directors. Although sufficient fact-checking is conducted before broadcast, reenactment scenes are labeled 'reenactment' on screen to prevent viewers from misunderstanding. There are cases in which the broadcast led to the resumption of police investigations, legislative amendments, or institutional improvements, demonstrating the public-interest function of current affairs programming. At the same time, responsible journalistic ethics are required to address concerns such as invasion of privacy or secondary harm.
Recent Trends
In 2024–2025 as well, Curious Story Y is actively covering not only traditional unsolved cases but also the latest issues such as digital crimes, drugs, jeonse fraud, school violence, and new types of financial fraud. As clip distribution through YouTube and OTT platforms expands, civic participation through online tips and comments after broadcast is increasing. In addition, episodes shedding light on new crime types arising from technological advances—such as deepfake crimes using generative AI, online fraud, and personal information leaks—are on the rise. SBS provides previews and follow-up information through its official channels and social media, strengthening communication with viewers. At the same time, there is a trend toward strengthening internal guidelines for victim protection and fair reporting, while avoiding controversy over sensational reenactments and prurience.
Related Topics
- [[그것이 알고 싶다|I Want to Know]]
- [[SBS]]
- [[시사교양 프로그램|Current Affairs Program]]
- [[미제 사건|Unsolved Case]]
- [[실화 재연|True-Story Reenactment]]
- [[탐사보도|Investigative Reporting]]