Director Jang Hang Jun’s ‘Time Tracker Seollok’ struggles with 0% viewership rating

Jang Hang Jun, the hit director who drew 17 million viewers with the film 'The King's Warden,' is hosting the SBS Plus educational variety show 'Time Tracker Seollok.' Despite its intriguing historical subject matter and solid lineup, the program is struggling to gain traction.

According to Nielsen Korea, the second episode of 'Time Tracker Seollok,' which aired on the 21st, recorded a national household viewership rating of 0.3%. Following its premiere, the show has remained in the 0% range for two consecutive weeks, resulting in disappointing results despite the star power of Jang and the differentiated 'historical mystery' concept.

'Time Tracker Seollok' is a program designed to track hidden events and the behind-the-scenes stories of historical figures. Moving beyond simple historical commentary, the show aims to analyze political, psychological, and social contexts to explore the significance that past events hold for the present.

In the second episode, the show highlighted instances where world leaders relied on irrational beliefs under the theme of 'Politics, Shamanism, and Shadow Power.' Key subjects included the shamanism and fortune-telling connected to U.S. President Ronald Reagan, German Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, and Empress Myeongseong of the Joseon Dynasty.

Special guests including actress Jung Young-joo, historian Gye Seung-beom, and psychologist Cho Young-eun participated to analyze historical facts and human psychology from various perspectives.

In particular, the story of 'astrological politics' surrounding the White House was a standout segment. It was revealed that after the assassination attempt on President Reagan, his wife Nancy Reagan relied on astrologer Joan Quigley due to anxiety, and that zodiac forecasts actually influenced the coordination of the President's schedule.

Claims were also made that a fortune-telling calendar, used to adjust the President's schedule based on divinations, was utilized within the White House at the time. Upon hearing this, Jung expressed her astonishment, saying, "It is hard to believe that world history changed because of a single piece of paper."

The broadcast then highlighted astrologer Eric Jan Haanen, who is known to have influenced Hitler's political rise.

Haanen was introduced as a figure who instilled confidence in Hitler, who had a weak political foundation, by prophesying future power. Analysis suggested he was not just a simple fortune teller, but a kind of political aide who advised on mass agitation and image-making strategies.

However, Haanen also became a victim of the power he helped nurture. As various speculations arise regarding his mysterious death after Hitler took power, Jang added meaning by comparing him to Frankenstein, stating, "It seems the director who put the monster on stage was killed by the monster he created."

The finale of the broadcast featured the story of the shaman Jinryeonggun, who surrounded the royal family during the late Joseon period.

The show introduced how Empress Myeongseong relied on shamanism during political crises, and how Jinryeonggun exercised immense influence based on this. In particular, the anecdote that massive resources were mobilized to perform rituals at all 12,000 peaks of Mount Geumgang under the pretext of treating the Crown Prince's illness shocked the cast.

Jang lamented, "I cannot believe such things actually happened. It is so frustrating that the country moved based on a shaman's word while the people were starving to death."

It was also mentioned that Jinryeonggun's actions and ultimate fate after the assassination of Empress Myeongseong were not clearly recorded. Bong Tae-gyu also pointed out the danger of power and irrational belief, saying, "There is no answer once a person in power falls into shamanism."

However, while the subject matter itself has sufficient pull, the fact that it has not led to a rebound in viewership ratings remains a challenge.

While Jang possesses a uniquely pleasant way of speaking and mass-friendly hosting abilities, striking a balance between historical education and variety remains an important task. Although 'Time Tracker Seollok' attempted an interesting approach by connecting political power, human psychology, and historical events, some analysts suggest that the heavy themes and method of information delivery limited its accessibility to the general public.

Given that history is always a mirror of the present, the theme of 'shamanism and power' is sufficiently meaningful. However, good subject matter does not necessarily guarantee high viewership ratings. The success of the program will likely depend on how the star power of Jang and the subject matter that stimulates historical curiosity can expand their connection with viewers.