South Korea · Variety · 2018
On the Border
Binge Brief
- 125 episodes in four seasons on MBC, 30 March 2018 to 22 December 2021
- Cha Eun Woo appears in season 1, episodes 5 to 8 (4 to 25 May 2018)
- Season 1 was planned at 16 episodes and extended to 20
- The final season moved from Sundays to Wednesdays on 1 December 2021
Synopsis
On the Border (선을 넘는 녀석들, known in English as Those Who Cross the Line) is an MBC programme that uses borders as a way into history. In the first season the cast flew to pairs of neighbouring countries, crossed the line between them on camera, and history lecturer Seol Min-seok explained what had happened there. That season went out on Friday nights from 30 March to 14 September 2018: Mexico and the United States, France and Germany, Jordan and Israel, Spain, Portugal and Morocco by way of Gibraltar, then Italy and Slovenia. It was planned at 16 episodes and stretched to 20. Kim Gu-ra and Seol Min-seok were there for all of it and actress Lee Si-young for the first 16.
The show kept the name but changed shape three times. A six-week Korean Peninsula season ran on Saturdays from 16 February to 23 March 2019 with Jun Hyun-moo, Moon Geun-young, Yoo Byung-jae and Daniel Lindemann, and included a stop in Japan. The third season, known as Returns, aired on Sundays from 18 August 2019 to 13 December 2020 for 67 episodes. It stayed mostly inside Korea, with trips to Russia's Primorsky region, Shanghai, Chongqing and Saipan, and added Koyote's Kim Jong-min. Master-X, the fourth season, replaced the lecturer with three subject masters: Shim Yong-hwan for history, Kim Kyung-il for psychology and Kim Sang-wook for science. It ran from 25 April to 22 December 2021, moving to Wednesdays in its last month, and brought the total to 125 episodes.
Cha Eun Woo of ASTRO was the guest on the France and Germany trip, episodes 5 to 8, broadcast from 4 to 25 May 2018. He studied French and French history on the flight, ordered for the table in French and English in Paris, and answered Seol Min-seok's history questions on the spot, including one about the temple of Haeinsa during the Korean War. Daniel Lindemann joined the group in episode 6 and Yoo Byung-jae in episode 7. The final Berlin episode drew 4.9% in the Seoul capital area on Nielsen, second in its slot. The first season was planned by Park Hyun-suk and directed by Jung Yoon-jung and Oh Mi-kyung.
On the Border cast
Themes and messages
Every trip turns a border into a lesson. Standing at the Berlin Wall in episode 8, the cast compared the division of Germany with the division of Korea, and the second season brought the same question home with a visit to the DMZ. Later seasons kept the lecture format but swapped the passport for Korean history, science and psychology.
Episodes
| Ep | Title | Air date | Status | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2018-03-30 | Aired | ||
| 2 | 2018-04-06 | Aired | ||
| 3 | 2018-04-13 | Aired | ||
| 4 | 2018-04-20 | Aired | ||
| 5 | Start of the France and Germany trip: Cha Eun Woo joins Kim Gu-ra, Seol Min-seok and Lee Si-young in Paris and orders the group's meal in French and English. | 2018-05-04 | Aired | |
| 6 | More of Paris, including a Seine cruise and a café stop, before the group reaches the border city of Strasbourg and German guide Daniel Lindemann. | 2018-05-11 | Aired | |
| 7 | The cast cross into Germany by tram, Yoo Byung-jae joins, and they take the Autobahn to Berlin and its Holocaust memorial sites. | 2018-05-18 | Aired | |
| 8 | Berlin: the Brandenburg Gate checkpoint and the Berlin Wall, and a short-lived night out for Cha Eun Woo and Yoo Byung-jae at a club. | 2018-05-25 | Aired | |
| 9 | Start of the Jordan and Israel trip, with SHINee's Minho joining Kim Gu-ra, Seol Min-seok and Lee Si-young. | 2018-06-08 | Aired | |
| 10 | 2018-06-22 | Aired | ||
| 11 | Heavy rain closes roads in Israel, the cast float in the Dead Sea, and Minho says goodbye before a surprise guest arrives. | 2018-06-29 | Aired | |
| 12 | 2018-07-13 | Aired | ||
| 13 | 2018-07-20 | Aired | ||
| 14 | 2018-07-27 | Aired | ||
| 15 | 2018-08-03 | Aired | ||
| 16 | 2018-08-10 | Aired | ||
| 17 | 2018-08-17 | Aired | ||
| 18 | 2018-08-24 | Aired | ||
| 19 | 2018-09-07 | Aired | ||
| 20 | 2018-09-14 | Aired | ||
| 21 | 2019-02-16 | Aired | ||
| 22 | 2019-02-23 | Aired | ||
| 23 | 2019-03-02 | Aired | ||
| 24 | 2019-03-09 | Aired | ||
| 25 | 2019-03-16 | Aired | ||
| 26 | 2019-03-23 | Aired | ||
| 27 | 2019-08-18 | Aired | ||
| 28 | 2019-08-25 | Aired | ||
| 29 | 2019-09-01 | Aired | ||
| 30 | 2019-09-08 | Aired | ||
| 31 | 2019-09-15 | Aired | ||
| 32 | 2019-09-22 | Aired | ||
| 33 | 2019-09-29 | Aired | ||
| 34 | 2019-10-06 | Aired | ||
| 35 | 2019-10-13 | Aired | ||
| 36 | 2019-10-20 | Aired | ||
| 37 | 2019-10-27 | Aired | ||
| 38 | 2019-11-03 | Aired | ||
| 39 | 2019-11-10 | Aired | ||
| 40 | 2019-11-17 | Aired | ||
| 41 | 2019-11-24 | Aired | ||
| 42 | 2019-12-01 | Aired | ||
| 43 | 2019-12-08 | Aired | ||
| 44 | 2019-12-15 | Aired | ||
| 45 | 2019-12-22 | Aired | ||
| 46 | 2020-01-05 | Aired | ||
| 47 | 2020-01-12 | Aired | ||
| 48 | 2020-01-19 | Aired | ||
| 49 | 2020-02-02 | Aired | ||
| 50 | 2020-02-09 | Aired | ||
| 51 | 2020-02-16 | Aired | ||
| 52 | 2020-02-23 | Aired | ||
| 53 | 2020-03-01 | Aired | ||
| 54 | 2020-03-08 | Aired | ||
| 55 | 2020-03-15 | Aired | ||
| 56 | 2020-03-22 | Aired | ||
| 57 | 2020-03-29 | Aired | ||
| 58 | 2020-04-05 | Aired | ||
| 59 | 2020-04-12 | Aired | ||
| 60 | 2020-04-19 | Aired | ||
| 61 | 2020-04-26 | Aired | ||
| 62 | 2020-05-03 | Aired | ||
| 63 | 2020-05-10 | Aired | ||
| 64 | 2020-05-17 | Aired | ||
| 65 | 2020-05-24 | Aired | ||
| 66 | 2020-05-31 | Aired | ||
| 67 | 2020-06-07 | Aired | ||
| 68 | 2020-06-14 | Aired | ||
| 69 | 2020-06-21 | Aired | ||
| 70 | 2020-06-28 | Aired | ||
| 71 | 2020-07-05 | Aired | ||
| 72 | 2020-07-12 | Aired | ||
| 73 | 2020-07-19 | Aired | ||
| 74 | 2020-07-26 | Aired | ||
| 75 | 2020-08-02 | Aired | ||
| 76 | 2020-08-09 | Aired | ||
| 77 | 2020-08-16 | Aired | ||
| 78 | 2020-08-23 | Aired | ||
| 79 | 2020-08-30 | Aired | ||
| 80 | 2020-09-06 | Aired | ||
| 81 | 2020-09-13 | Aired | ||
| 82 | 2020-09-20 | Aired | ||
| 83 | 2020-09-27 | Aired | ||
| 84 | 2020-10-11 | Aired | ||
| 85 | 2020-10-18 | Aired | ||
| 86 | 2020-10-25 | Aired | ||
| 87 | 2020-11-01 | Aired | ||
| 88 | 2020-11-08 | Aired | ||
| 89 | 2020-11-15 | Aired | ||
| 90 | 2020-11-22 | Aired | ||
| 91 | 2020-11-29 | Aired | ||
| 92 | 2020-12-06 | Aired | ||
| 93 | 2020-12-13 | Aired | ||
| 94 | 2021-04-25 | Aired | ||
| 95 | 2021-05-02 | Aired | ||
| 96 | 2021-05-09 | Aired | ||
| 97 | 2021-05-16 | Aired | ||
| 98 | 2021-05-23 | Aired | ||
| 99 | 2021-05-30 | Aired | ||
| 100 | 2021-06-06 | Aired | ||
| 101 | 2021-06-13 | Aired | ||
| 102 | 2021-06-20 | Aired | ||
| 103 | 2021-06-27 | Aired | ||
| 104 | 2021-07-04 | Aired | ||
| 105 | 2021-07-11 | Aired | ||
| 106 | 2021-07-18 | Aired | ||
| 107 | 2021-08-08 | Aired | ||
| 108 | 2021-08-15 | Aired | ||
| 109 | 2021-08-22 | Aired | ||
| 110 | 2021-08-29 | Aired | ||
| 111 | 2021-09-05 | Aired | ||
| 112 | 2021-09-12 | Aired | ||
| 113 | 2021-09-26 | Aired | ||
| 114 | 2021-10-03 | Aired | ||
| 115 | 2021-10-10 | Aired | ||
| 116 | 2021-10-17 | Aired | ||
| 117 | 2021-10-24 | Aired | ||
| 118 | 2021-10-31 | Aired | ||
| 119 | 2021-11-07 | Aired | ||
| 120 | 2021-11-14 | Aired | ||
| 121 | 2021-11-21 | Aired | ||
| 122 | 2021-12-01 | Aired | ||
| 123 | 2021-12-08 | Aired | ||
| 124 | 2021-12-15 | Aired | ||
| 125 | 2021-12-22 | Aired |
Frequently asked questions
Which episodes of On the Border is Cha Eun Woo in?
Cha Eun Woo is in season 1 of On the Border, episodes 5 to 8, broadcast on MBC on 4, 11, 18 and 25 May 2018. He travelled with the cast from Paris to Strasbourg and on to Berlin.
How many seasons and episodes does On the Border have?
On the Border has four seasons and 125 episodes: 20 in season 1 (2018), 6 in the Korean Peninsula season (2019), 67 in Returns (2019 to 2020) and 32 in Master-X (2021). On this page they are numbered 1 to 125 in broadcast order.
What is the Korean title of On the Border?
The Korean title of On the Border is 선을 넘는 녀석들, shortened to 선녀들 in MBC's own press notes. English Wikipedia lists it as Those Who Cross the Line.
Where did On the Border travel in season 1?
Season 1 of On the Border visited Mexico and the United States, France and Germany, Jordan and Israel, Spain, Portugal and Morocco, and finally Italy and Slovenia.
Who is in the cast of On the Border?
Seol Min-seok was the lecturer of On the Border for the first three seasons. Kim Gu-ra and Lee Si-young were the original travellers; Jun Hyun-moo and Yoo Byung-jae joined from season 2 and Kim Jong-min from season 3.
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