Pyeonstorang (New Product Launch Pyeonstorang)

KBS 2TV's representative cooking entertainment show, an experiential program in which new menus developed by stars are actually released as products.

Pyeonstorang (New Product Launch Pyeonstorang)

Overview

Pyeonstorang is a cooking entertainment program broadcast on KBS 2TV, officially titled 《New Product Launch Pyeonstorang》. Its core format is for stars to develop 'new menus' they have devised themselves, and after judging and evaluation, the winning menu is actually released as a convenience store product or restaurant menu. Going beyond a simple cookbang (cooking show), it presents the process of 'planning-development-evaluation-commercialization' as an entertainment narrative, and since its premiere in 2019 it has established itself as a long-running program.

Main Content

Program Format

The basic structure is that each week the cast develops new menus with their own recipes, and after tasting and evaluation in the studio, the winning dish is selected. The winning menu is commercialized in connection with actual distribution channels; initially the concept was filling the menu of a fictional restaurant called 'Pyeonstorang,' and later the scope of commercialization expanded to launching new convenience store products and developing home meal replacements (HMR). The fact that 'the result exists as a real product' is the biggest characteristic that draws viewer participation and interest.

Cast and Characters

In the early days, Lee Kyung-kyu hosted and established the program's central axis; afterward, Lee Young-ja, Boom, Lee Chan-won, Kim Jae-joong, Chef Jung Ho-young, and others were active as main cast members, building their own cooking styles and entertainment characters. In particular, as the serious 'cooking skills' of cast members deeply knowledgeable about cooking and their entertaining tiki-taka were highlighted together, cases in which certain cast members' recipes became a hot topic and led to actual sales were repeated. Panelists with chef backgrounds take on professional advice and judging roles, supplementing the program's expertise.

Commercialization and Industrial Significance

Pyeonstorang's biggest differentiator is that the broadcast connects directly to 'new product marketing.' Menus introduced on the show have been released as limited editions at convenience stores or adopted as new menus by restaurant brands, creating a business model in which broadcasting and distribution are directly combined. This is evaluated as a case showing that entertainment programs can function as product planning platforms beyond content.

Impact on Popular Culture

The program has produced many 'recipes you can follow at home,' influencing everyday cooking culture, and secondary content in which cast members' recipes are reprocessed on SNS and YouTube is also actively spreading. In addition, it represents the trend of cooking entertainment evolving beyond simple mukbang into 'business-type entertainment' that covers planning, evaluation, and distribution.

Latest Trends

As of 2024–2025, Pyeonstorang is positioned as a stable flagship entertainment program in the Friday evening time slot, and through collaboration with the convenience store and food industries, it continues to launch new products in the form of seasonal special promotions. Recently, product categories such as HMR, meal kits, and desserts have been diversifying, and marketing effects are expanding in a form that combines recipe spread through short-form clips with cast-centered fandom consumption. At the same time, discussions about the freshness of the format for a long-running program and attempts at change through cast replacements and segment reorganization are also appearing.