The answer to ‘Lee Joon Kimchi’ is… ‘2026 Quiz on Korea World Championship’ to broadcast on Hangeul Day

The global quiz program ‘2026 Quiz on Korea World Championship’, co-hosted by KBS and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, will be broadcast on October 9, Hangeul Day. This year's program is conducted in a format where 8 people, who reached the finals after two preliminary rounds and a wild card round, compete for the championship. Participants gathered from 23 countries, and in the finals, the participant who first reaches a cumulative score of 1,000 points will become the champion. The quiz will feature a traditional way of writing answers in a space that captures Korean traditional beauty, and questions themed around kimchi and Korean culture will also be covered. The broadcast begins at 10:50 AM on KBS 1TV on this day, and it will be transmitted through KBS WORLD at 8:35 PM.

8 finalists advance through two preliminary rounds

‘2026 Quiz on Korea World Championship’ is a global quiz program co-hosted by KBS and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea. This year's competition introduced a different survival format than before. Participants undergo two preliminary rounds and a wild card round to determine the finalists. The number of people who passed this process is 8. The participants stepping onto the final stage will compete for the championship title by solving questions themed around Korean culture.

The production team announced that the quiz will be held in a special space that captures Korean traditional beauty. This year's program is structured to determine the final winner through step-by-step matches leading from the preliminaries and wild card round to the finals. The space containing traditional Korean elements and the method of writing answers were introduced as features applied to this year's competition.

First to reach 1,000 cumulative points becomes champion

The final is conducted in a way where the participant who first reaches a cumulative score of 1,000 points wins. Rather than just getting the answer to one question right, they must accumulate points to reach the target score first. In the finals, various questions encompassing Korean culture will be presented. According to the production team, the questions continue as the finals progress, and a match unfolds where rankings change.

The production team reported that there were repeated reversals, making it difficult to predict the first place in the finals. They explained that as questions continued, matches where rankings changed ensued, and a tense quiz unfolded where participants competed for points until the very end. The 8 finalists compete by answering questions with the goal of reaching 1,000 cumulative points. The first champion of the ‘2026 Quiz on Korea World Championship’ will be determined based on the final score.

Participants also respond wittily to the ‘Lee Joon Kimchi’ hint

Questions related to kimchi also appear in the quiz competition. When a question asking about one of Korea's representative kimchis appeared, MC Lee Joon gave a hint saying, “Lee Joon Kimchi.” The program stated that viewers can check through the broadcast what the answer indicated by this hint is.

The production team reported that Lee Joon's slip of the tongue and the finalists' responses also drew laughter on set. When Lee Joon said, “Giving up is something you say when slicing radish,” one finalist shot back, “Or when counting cabbage...” As the participants' quick wit and verbal skills are added during the quiz battle, the broadcast includes not only the competition to get the right answer but also the conversations between the MC and the participants. Scenes where participants of different nationalities and languages solve questions themed around Korea and exchange witty remarks on set can also be seen in the program.

Challenge from participants from 23 countries, broadcast domestically and internationally on Hangeul Day

Participants from 23 countries are taking part in this competition. The original text introduced that they took on the challenge with a heart that loves Korea. Participants advance to the finals through two preliminary rounds and a wild card round, and in the finals, a winner is determined by solving questions encompassing Korean culture. Among the 8 finalists, the person who first reaches a cumulative score of 1,000 points will become the first champion of the competition.

The KBS 1TV broadcast begins at 10:50 AM on October 9. At 8:35 PM on the same day, it will be transmitted to viewers worldwide through KBS WORLD. In the finals revealed through the Hangeul Day broadcast, who will rise as the first champion will be determined in the final battle of the program.

‘2026 Quiz on Korea World Championship’ will be broadcast on KBS 1TV at 10:50 AM on October 9. On the same day, it will be transmitted through KBS WORLD at 8:35 PM. The finals where the first champion is born and the quiz challenge of the participants from 23 countries can be checked at each broadcast time.

Read the original (Korean)