A series of documentaries on Korean culture will be aired on the Discovery Channel next week.

Five 30-minute episodes, directed by Korean rookie movie directors, will be broadcast from Dec. 15-29 in 34 countries.

The documentary series will cover topics such as Korean royal cuisine, traditional medicine, shaman culture, technology and Korea’s popular culture. Titled “Korea Next,” the documentary project was jointly created by the Korea Tourism Organization and Discovery Channel’s First Time Filmmakers initiative, which is a platform for promising filmmakers to showcase their talents to a global audience.

“We are sure that the documentaries will promote Korea’s image and enhance understanding of the country. We expect it to help Korea attract more foreign tourists,” said Park Chul-hyun, director of the KTO’s brand marketing team.

“The 30-minute documentary shows Korean culture through fresh points of view on its nature, tradition, religion, festivals, music and technology by five filmmakers,” he said.

The five directors who participated in the project are Sean Richard, a Korean-American actor, and directors Lee David, Han Seon-hee, Oh Seok-hun and Kim Seung-hee.

In Korea the documentaries will be broadcast at 10 p.m. on Dec. 15, 22 and 29.

By Lee Woo-young  (wylee@heraldcorp.com)