KBS 1TV to premiere revamped Next Champion's Secret Weapon Season 2

KBS 1TV will premiere the revamped Next Champion's Secret Weapon Season 2 on November 1, featuring a new lineup of MCs and panelists. The program will use on-site employee reporters to explore the technologies and management of mid-sized companies, including ZEUS and InBody.

'Next Champion's Secret Weapon' is returning with a revamped Season 2. Premiering on November 1 on KBS 1TV, 'Next Champion's Secret Weapon Season 2' is a program that vividly explores the innovative technologies, management philosophies, and human-centered stories of mid-sized companies, which serve as the backbone of the South Korean economy. For Season 2, Defconn and announcer Hong Ju-yeon will take on the roles of MCs, while Oh My Girl's Hyojung and writer Kwak Jae-sik join as panelists to deliver the hidden stories of these companies in an easy and pleasant manner. With an entirely new lineup from MCs to panelists, the show is expected to showcase unique chemistry.

Notably, this season will feature actual employees from each company acting as on-site reporters. These employees, who know their companies well, will tour production sites and offices to introduce technologies and corporate culture, even posing quizzes to the cast. Rather than merely viewing companies from an external perspective, the program will provide a more vivid look through the voices of those currently working on the ground.

From wafer cleaning equipment to industrial robots, what are the hidden weapons of ZEUS?

The first company visited in Episode 1 is ZEUS, the only company in South Korea that produces both single-type and batch-type wafer cleaning equipment. Having started as a trading business in 1970, ZEUS has responded swiftly to changes in the semiconductor industry based on over 50 years of accumulated technical expertise. The company anticipated the growth of AI early on, entering the "back-end process" market preemptively by developing AVP cleaning equipment for HBM, and further expanding its reach by developing 6-axis articulated robots that can be flexibly applied to production sites. An employee reporter will provide an in-depth look at ZEUS's continuous technological innovation.

The broadcast will also reveal ZEUS's unique "secret weapons" for growth through human-centered management, such as unconventional compensation systems designed to encourage healthy lifestyles for employees and a horizontal working environment where even the CEO is addressed with the respectful suffix "-nim."

What is the hidden competitiveness of InBody, which commercialized body composition analysis technology for the first time in the world?

The second company introduced is InBody, which gained global recognition by being the first in the world to commercialize body composition analysis technology. While body fat previously had to be measured by entering water or using specialized equipment, InBody opened an era of simple yet accurate analysis of body composition, including fat and muscle. Currently exporting to approximately 110 countries, the technology is utilized in various fields, including medical institutions, professional sports teams, NASA, and the United States Marine Corps, setting a new standard for body composition analysis.

The program will examine the specific "secret weapons" that have elevated InBody to its current position, ranging from the rigorous quality control processes required to bring a single product to market, to the unconventional "GBD" talent development system that provides young employees with opportunities to pioneer overseas markets.

The production team for 'Next Champion's Secret Weapon Season 2' stated, "The newly formed MCs and panelists showed chemistry beyond expectations from the very first recording, each expressing their distinct colors in their respective fields. We ask for much interest as we plan to deliver the value of mid-sized companies, the hidden heroes of our economy, in a pleasant yet deep manner."

'Next Champion's Secret Weapon Season 2' on KBS 1TV will begin its first broadcast on Sunday, November 1 at 1:30 PM and will visit viewers every week.

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