TvN’s travel-reality show “New Journey to the West” hit 42 million views on Naver TV Cast in a month since it was released early September.

Produced by hit director Na Young-seo, the program is also gaining traction in China, garnering over 10 million views on Chinese portal site QQ.

Industry observers said the popularity behind the show is twisted charm of the hosts -- Lee Seung-gi, Kang Ho-dong, Eun Ji-won and Lee Su-geun -- who were also former members of Na’s hit variety show “2 Days & 1 Night.”

For instance, Kang Ho-dong, who used to be full of confidence on TV channels, looks clumsy using the Internet or foreign languages. Lee Seung-gi, who looked neat but sloppy in his early 20s, becomes a sharp, sly guy in his late 20s.

The program also jumped on the digital bandwagon, letting smartphone users enjoy the show clips running about five to 10 minutes without much burden.

The four members completed their shoot for four nights and five days in China in August.

(khnews@heraldcorp.com)