MBC's 'Simya Goedam-hoe 6' hits season 6 — musical actress Kim So-hyun joins as second guest

MBC's Simya Goedam-hoe 6 (심야괴담회6) premiered June 22, five years after the series first launched in 2021. Season 5 ran from June through December last year; season 6 now airs every Monday at 10:50 PM.

The format is straightforward. Viewers submit ghost stories based on real experiences. Every story that makes the broadcast earns 444,444 won. Online viewers—called eoduksini (어둑시니)—vote with virtual candles, and the top-ranked story gets a shot at additional prize money. Submissions are open to the general public via email and the show's official homepage.

The series has spawned adaptations. A ghost story called Salmokji (살목지), introduced on the show, was later made into a film that ranked first in Korean horror film box office history. MBC also adapted another episode as a short-form drama—사람을 먹는 늪 : 수살귀(水殺鬼)의 원념—released on Japanese short-drama platform Kanta.

Season 6 is directed by PD Park Jong-eun, who also helmed season 4. Actors Lee Ba-ul and Go Yeon-gyeong return to handle reenactments. Singer Kim Yun-a appeared as the first episode's guest, introducing a new spiritual location as a follow-up to the original Salmokji story she had shared previously. The first broadcast achieved a "complete burn" (완불, 44 votes).

Musical actress Kim So-hyun joins as the second special guest on the June 29 episode. Known for an elegant stage presence and equally known for being easily frightened, she said she watched past episodes in advance to prepare—and it backfired. "I became even more scared and ended up looking for my husband Sohn Jun-ho more," she said. During recording, she left her seat due to fear, asked the crew to build a wall behind her on set, and at one point said "I'm so immersed my throat is completely dry."

She also opened up about suffering from severe sleep paralysis and insomnia since her school days. She eventually broke more than a decade of sleeplessness through a single method she stumbled upon by chance. (She debuted in 2001 with The Phantom of the Opera and has since appeared in Elisabeth, Mozart!, Marie Antoinette, and several other productions.)

The June 29 episode features three stories: Jalmotdoen Mannam (잘못된 만남), about a tragedy caused by a chain of bad relationships; Yeollin Mun (열린 문), about a terrible truth beyond a door that won't close; and Uri Gongju (우리 공주), about a nightmare that began after witnessing an accident.