Heart Signal
South Korean reality show
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Heart Signal (Korean: 하트시그널) is a South Korean dating reality television show distributed by Channel A. Season 1 of the show aired in 2017, followed by season 2 in 2018, season 3 in 2020 and season 4 in 2023.[1][2] Based on the cast members of Heart Signal, a new program named Friends was also produced.[3]
| Heart Signal | |
|---|---|
Promotional poster of season 3 | |
| Genre | |
| Directed by | Lee Jin-min, Park Kyong-sik, Seung-Young Yoon, Yun Hoon Ki, Choi Yoon Ah, Kim Hye In, Shin Yoo Jin, Nam Eun Young, Jung Sung Hee, Kim Na Ra, Choi Eunji |
| Presented by | See below |
| Country of origin | South Korea |
| Original language | Korean |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 40 + 6 specials |
| Production | |
| Running time | 70-130 minutes |
| Production company | Channel A |
| Original release | |
| Network | Channel A |
| Release | June 2, 2017 – present |
| Related | |
| Friends | |
Overview
The reality show follows eight people living together for one month as they get to know each other and go on dates. Every night, each cast member sends an anonymous text message to another cast member to show their romantic interest. However, they are not allowed to directly confess their love. Meanwhile, a panel of celebrities and experts watches the show, analyzing the cast members' actions and trying to predict who will text who.[4][5]
Panelists
Season 1[6]
- Yoon Jong-shin
- Lee Sang-min
- Kim Eana
- Yang Jae-woong
- Shim So-young
- Shindong (Super Junior)
Season 2[7]
- Yoon Jong-shin
- Lee Sang-min
- Kim Eana
- Yang Jae-woong
- ONE
- Soyou
Season 3[8]
- Lee Sang-min
- Kim Eana
- Yang Jae-woong
- Han Hye-jin
- Yoon Shi-yoon
- P.O (Block B)
Season 4[2]
- Yoon Jong-shin
- Lee Sang-min
- Kim Eana
- Kim Choong-gi
- Kang Seung-yoon (Winner) -> Kim Jin-woo (Winner)[9]
- Mimi (Oh My Girl)
Cast members
| Name | Birth year | Occupation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jang Cheon (장천) | 1985 | lawyer (Graduated from Department of Communication at Kyunghee University and Law at Konkuk University) |
|
| Kang Sung-wook (강성욱) | 1985 | musical actor (Graduated from Seoul Institute of Arts) |
|
| Seo Joo-won (서주원) | 1994 | race car driver (Graduated from Department of European Culture at Chung-ang University) |
|
| Yoon Hyeon-chan (윤현찬) | 1985 | chef and restaurant owner | Joined the show in episode 8 |
| Bae Yoon-kyung (배윤경) | 1993 | actress (Graduated from Department of Fashion Design at Konkuk University) |
|
| Kim Se-rin (김세린) | 1993 | marketer at Cirque du Soleil (Studied at New York University) |
|
| Seo Ji-hye (서지혜) | 1996 | student at Ewha Womans University | |
| Shin A-ra (신아라) | 1995 | first runner-up at Miss Korea 2016 (Graduated from Department of Aviation at Gwangju Women's University) |
Joined the show in episode 4 |
| Participants | Total of Signals Received |
|---|---|
| Jang Cheon | 27 |
| Kang Sung-wook | 9 |
| Seo Joo-won | 12 |
| Yoon Hyeon-chan | 0 |
| Bae Yoon-kyung | 21 |
| Kim Se-rin | 2 |
| Seo Ji-hye | 8 |
| Shin A-ra | 13 |
| Participants | ||
| Kang Sung-wook | ↔ | Shin A-ra |
| Jang Cheon | ↔ | Bae Yoon-kyung |
| Seo Joo-won | → | Seo Ji-hye |
| Yoon Hyeon-chan | → | Shin A-ra |
| Kim Se-rin | → | Jang Cheon |
| Seo Ji-hye | → | Jang Cheon |
| Name | Birth year | Occupation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kim Do-gyun (김도균) | 1988 | Korean medicine doctor (Graduated from Department of Medicine at Kyunghee University) |
|
| Jung Jae-ho (정재호) | 1990 | CEO of a startup company (Graduated from Department of Industrial Engineering and Management Science at UC Berkeley) |
|
| Lee Gyu-bin (이규빈) | 1993 | preparing to join the South Korean public service (Graduated from Department of Free Major at Seoul National University) |
|
| Kim Hyun-woo (김현우) | 1985 | chef and restaurant owner | Joined the show in episode 2 |
| Oh Young-joo (오영주) | 1991 | marketer at Microsoft (Graduated from University of California) |
|
| Song Da-eun (송다은) | 1991 | aspiring actress (Graduated from Department of Broadcasting and Entertainment at Induk University) |
|
| Im Hyun-joo (임현주) | 1992 | work as an actress [14] | student at Kookmin University |
| Kim Jang-mi (김장미) | 1989 | fashion boutique owner (Graduated from New York Fashion Institute of Technology) |
Joined the show in episode 6 |
| Participants | Total of Signals Received |
|---|---|
| Kim Do-gyun | 17 |
| Jung Jae-ho | 17 |
| Lee Gyu-bin | 5 |
| Kim Hyun-woo | 22 |
| Oh Young-joo | 26 |
| Song Da-eun | 18 |
| Im Hyun-joo | 25 |
| Kim Jang-mi | 3 |
| Participants | ||
| Jung Jae-ho | ↔ | Song Da-eun |
| Kim Hyun-woo | ↔ | Im Hyun-joo |
| Kim Do-gyun | → | Im Hyun-joo |
| Lee Gyu-bin | → | Oh Young-joo |
| Oh Young-joo | → | Kim Hyun-woo |
| Kim Jang-mi | → | Kim Do-gyun |
| Name | Birth year | Occupation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheon In-woo (천인우) | 1989 | engineering manager at a fintech company (Graduated from Department of Computer Science at UC Berkeley and MBA at Stanford University) |
|
| Jung Eui-dong (정의동) | 1992 | animal replica sculptor | |
| Im Han-gyeol (임한결) | 1989 | branding consultant for restaurants | |
| Kim Kang-yeol (김강열) | 1994 | online fashion boutique owner (Graduated from Department of Fashion Design at Gachon University) |
Joined the show in episode 6 |
| Lee Ga-heun (이가흔) | 1996 | veterinary student at Konkuk University | |
| Park Ji-hyun (박지현) | 1996 | student at Waseda University | |
| Seo Min-jae (서민재) | 1993 | auto mechanic | studied Mechanical Engineering Inha University and Hanyang University |
| Cheon An-na (천안나) | 1994 | secretary (Graduated from Department of Aviation from Hanseo University) |
Joined the show in episode 8 |
| Participants | Total of Signals Received |
|---|---|
| Cheon In-woo | 14 |
| Jung Eui-dong | 7 |
| Im Han-gyeol | 17 |
| Kim Kang-yeol | 11 |
| Lee Ga-heun | 5 |
| Park Ji-hyun | 28 |
| Seo Min-jae | 11 |
| Cheon An-na | 7 |
| Participants | ||
| Im Han-gyeol | ↔ | Seo Min-jae |
| Kim Kang-yeol | ↔ | Park Ji-hyun |
| Cheon In-woo | → | Park Ji-hyun |
| Jung Eui-dong | → | Cheon An-na |
| Lee Ga-heun | → | Jung Eui-dong |
| Cheon An-na | → | Kim Kang-yeol |
Season 4[18]
| Name | Birth year | Occupation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shin Min-gyu (신민규) | 1993 | Strategy Consultant (Graduated from Department of French Language and Literature at Korea University) |
|
| Han Gyeo-re (한겨레) | 1989 | CEO of F&B Company (Studied from Department of Theater and Film) |
Winner of barista competition in South Korea and represented the country in international competitions |
| Yoo Ji-won (유지원) | 1996 | Medical intern (Graduated from Department of Materials Engineering at Seoul National University and attending College of Medicine at Kyunghee University) |
|
| Lee Hu-shin (이후신) | 1993 | Painter and model (Graduated from Kaywon University of Arts) |
Joined in Episode 3 |
| Lee Ju-mi (이주미) | 1994 | Lawyer (Graduated from College of Law from Sookmyung Women's University and Ajou University) |
|
| Kim Ji-young (김지영) | 1995 | Brand officer at interior architecture company (Graduated from Department of Aviation at Inha Technical College) |
Former Korean Air flight attendant |
| Kim Ji-min (김지민) | 2000 | Student at Sungshin Women's University | |
| Yoo Yi-soo (유이수) | 1998 | Casting agent and model (Graduated from Department of Advertising at University of Illinois) |
Joined in Episode 6 |
Male participants
Female participants
Heart Signal was not revealed
Choose each other
| Participants | Episodes | |||||||||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Final | ||
| Shin Min-gyu | Kim Ji-min | Kim Ji-min | Kim Ji-min | Kim Ji-young | Kim Ji-min | Kim Ji-min | Yoo Yi-soo | Lee Ju-mi | Yoo Yi-soo | Yoo Yi-soo | No votings held | Yoo Yi-soo | Yoo Yi-soo | No votings held | Yoo Yi-soo | |
| Lee Ju-mi | Shin Min-gyu | Han Gyeo-re | Shin Min-gyu | Han Gyeo-re | Shin Min-gyu | Han Gyeo-re | Han Gyeo-re | Han Gyeo-re | Han Gyeo-re | Han Gyeo-re | Han Gyeo-re | Han Gyeo-re | Han Gyeo-re | |||
| Yoo Ji-won | Kim Ji-young | Lee Ju-mi | Lee Ju-mi | Lee Ju-mi | Kim Ji-young | Kim Ji-young | Kim Ji-young | Kim Ji-young | Kim Ji-young | Kim Ji-young | Kim Ji-young | Kim Ji-young | Kim Ji-young | |||
| Kim Ji-young | Han Gyeo-re | Han Gyeo-re | Shin Min-gyu | Shin Min-gyu | Shin Min-gyu | Han Gyeo-re | Shin Min-gyu | Shin Min-gyu | Shin Min-gyu | Shin Min-gyu | Lee Hu-shin | Shin Min-gyu | Han Gyeo-re | |||
| Han Gyeo-re | Kim Ji-young | Kim Ji-young | Kim Ji-young | Lee Ju-mi | Lee Ju-mi | Kim Ji-young | Kim Ji-young | Kim Ji-young | Kim Ji-young | Kim Ji-young | Lee Ju-mi | Kim Ji-young | Kim Ji-young | |||
| Kim Ji-min | Yoo Ji-won | Yoo Ji-won | Yoo Ji-won | Lee Hu-shin | Yoo Ji-won | Lee Hu-shin | Lee Hu-shin | Lee Hu-shin | Lee Hu-shin | Lee Hu-shin | Lee Hu-shin | Lee Hu-shin | Lee Hu-shin | |||
| Lee Hu-shin | Not yet on the house | Lee Ju-mi | Kim Ji-min | Kim Ji-young | Kim Ji-min | Kim Ji-min | Kim Ji-min | Kim Ji-young | Kim Ji-young | Kim Ji-young | Kim Ji-min | Kim Ji-young | ||||
| Yoo Yi-soo | Not yet on the house | Lee Hu-shin | Shin Min-gyu | Shin Min-gyu | Shin Min-gyu | Shin Min-gyu | Shin Min-gyu | Shin Min-gyu | Shin Min-gyu | |||||||
| Participants | Total of Signals Received |
|---|---|
| Shin Min-gyu | 18 |
| Han Gyeo-re | 14 |
| Yoo Ji-won | 4 |
| Lee Hu-shin | 11 |
| Lee Ju-mi | 8 |
| Kim Ji-young | 26 |
| Kim Ji-min | 9 |
| Yoo Yi-soo | 6 |
| Participants | ||
| Han Gyeo-re | ↔ | Kim Ji-young |
| Shin Min-gyu | ↔ | Yoo Yi-soo |
| Yoo Ji-won | → | Kim Ji-young |
| Lee Hu-shin | → | Kim Ji-young |
| Lee Ju-mi | → | Han Gyeo-re |
| Kim Ji-min | → | Lee Hu-shin |
Aftermath
Seo Joo-won from Season 1 got married in 2018 to YouTuber Aori (Kim Min-young) and got divorced in 2022.
Kim Do-gyun from Season 2 got married in 2022 to a non-celebrity who is a yoga instructor. Im Hyun-joo dated actor Kwak Si-yang between 2023 until November 2024. Lee Gyu-bin from Season 2 proposed in 2025 to model Ahn Sun-mi, and the couple announced their engagement.
Park Ji-hyun from Season 3 got married in 2023 to a non-celebrity who is a businessman.
Shin Min-gyu and Yoo Yi-soo from Season 4 dated between April 2023 until late 2024. Kim Ji-young from Season 4 announced her marriage to a non-celebrity and pregnancy on January 2026.
Controversies
Season 1
In 2019, Heart Signal cast member Kang Sung-wook was sentenced to five years in prison for sexually assaulting a woman in August 2017. Fellow cast member Jang Cheon reportedly initially served as Kang's lawyer in the case but resigned after six days.[19] Kang's sentence was reduced to 30 months in prison in 2020.[20]
Season 2
Heart Signal 2 cast member Kim Hyun-woo was arrested for drunk driving in April 2018 while the show was airing.[21]
Season 3
After the cast members of Heart Signal 3 were publicly announced, a woman accused cast member Lee Ga-heun of bullying classmates. Cast member Cheon An-na was also accused of bullying. The show's producers denied the allegations.[22]
While the show was airing, another woman told the media that cast member Kim Kang-yeol had kicked her in the stomach at a nightclub in January 2017. Kim admitted to the incident and apologized on social media.[23]
In May 2023, Yongsan Police Station in Seoul applied for an arrest warrant for Seo Min-jae on charges of violating the Narcotics Control Act. This suspicion was raised when Seo Min-jae made an SNS post revealing that she and her then boyfriend, Nam Tae-hyun, took methamphetamine in August 2022. In September 2022, the police finally collected the hair and urine of Seo Min-jae and Nam Tae-hyun, who were suspected of violating the Narcotics Control Act, and requested an appraisal from the National Institute of Scientific Investigation (NFS).[24]
Season 4