The television industries of Southeast and East Asia are linking their resources with increasing ambition. Mediacorp, Singapore’s national media network, has unveiled an expansive content partnership with South Korean entertainment firms, led by a twelve-episode romantic comedy titled Collateral Romance.
Backed by Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority, the series represents Mediacorp’s second major co-production with South Korean partners. The project pairs the broadcaster with content investment firm Blintn and Seoul-based studio Bigwave Entertainment, filming across locations in both Singapore and South Korea ahead of a planned broadcast in the first half of 2027.
Opposites Cross Paths Across Borders
The production features high-profile screen talent from both territories. South Korean actor Kim Myung-soo, known to pop audiences as L of the group Infinite, stars as Lee Jeong-sik, an independent timber trader dedicated to forestry.
He stars opposite Pyo Ye-jin, known for her leading work in Taxi Driver, who plays Na Da-woon, a pragmatic merchandising director focused on creating a stable, ordinary life. When the two encounter each other in an unfamiliar city, an unforeseen incident pulls them into a shared predicament, gradually shifting their interactions from friction to romance.
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Singaporean actor Gladys Bay joins the principal cast as Chu Jini, a young woman born to a Singaporean mother and a Korean father. Her character travels to Seoul to participate in a high-stakes dance audition programme titled Street Dancing Queen, forming bonds that steady the people around her.
The production brings together proven television makers. Director Kang Min-goo, whose previous work includes the global hit Itaewon Class, directs from scripts by Hit the Spot writer Lee Do-yeon. Executive producer Woo Sae-jin of Anna oversees production alongside Singapore executive producer Leong Lye Lin.
Mediacorp chief content and talent officer Virginia Lim explained that direct collaboration strengthens regional scripted programming from the ground up. “Working with Blintn and Bigwave Entertainment from script development through production enables us to combine our respective audience insights, storytelling strengths and market understanding,” Lim stated.
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Blintn chief executive officer Peter Choe noted that the initiative builds on growing demand for cross-border projects. “We are delighted to work with Mediacorp to create a series that feels locally authentic while resonating with audiences across markets,” Choe said.
Venturing Into Short-Form Mobile Formats
Alongside the primary television series, Mediacorp announced an agreement with Studio S, the production arm of Korean broadcaster SBS, and Soonshot, a short-form mobile video platform co-founded by entertainer Lee Kyung-kyu.
The three companies are producing four microdramas designed for mobile viewing, pairing Singaporean and Korean performers in compact formats.
The first production will adapt the 2018 romantic comedy Still 17, which followed a thirty-year-old woman waking from a thirteen-year coma with the emotional mindset of her seventeen-year-old self. Producers plan to release the short-form adaptation by late 2026 across Mediacorp platforms and Soonshot, with international distribution slated to follow.
