Heart Signal

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, season 4 in 2023 and season 5 in 2026.^[1][2][3] Based on the cast members of Heart Signal, a new program named Friends was also produced.^[4]

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.^[5][6]

Panelists

Season 1^[7]

• Yoon Jong-shin
• Lee Sang-min
• Kim Eana
• Yang Jae-woong
• Shim So-young
• Shindong (Super Junior)

Season 2^[8]

• Yoon Jong-shin
• Lee Sang-min
• Kim Eana
• Yang Jae-woong
• ONE
• Soyou

Season 3^[9]

• 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)^[10]
• Mimi (Oh My Girl)

Season 5^[3]

• Yoon Jong-shin
• Lee Sang-min
• Kim Eana
• Roy Kim
• Tsuki (Billlie)

Cast members

Season 1^[7][11][12]

Season 2^[13][14]

Season 3^[16][17][18]

Season 4^[19]

Male participants
Female participants
Heart Signal was not revealed
Chose each other

Season 5^[20]
Male participants
Female participants

Male participants
Female participants
Heart Signal was not revealed
Chose each other

Spin-off

Heart Pairing (2025–2026)

The spin-off follows ten individuals who are looking to marry as they live together for a month in the "Pairing House" located in Tuscany, Italy, and Seoul. Initially, the cast members are paired blindly based on shared values and interests, such as their favorite books, before seeing each other's faces. The show tracks the participants as they evaluate practical lifestyle habits to find a life partner. Meanwhile, a panel of celebrities and experts watches the interactions to analyze the contestants' compatibility and predict their final pairings.^[21][22]

Panelists

Source:^[23]

• Yoon Jong-shin
• Lee Chung-ah
• Choi Si-won
• Mimi (Oh My Girl)
• Park Ji-sun

Cast

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 in January 2026.

Ahn Ji-min and Lee Je-yeon from the spin-off, Heart Pairing, dated until October 2025. Shin Woo-jae and Moon Ji-won from the spin-off are still currently in a relationship.

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.^[24] Kang's sentence was reduced to 30 months in prison in 2020.^[25]

Season 2

Heart Signal 2 cast member Kim Hyun-woo was arrested for drunk driving in April 2018 while the show was airing.^[26]

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.^[27]

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.^[28]

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).^[29]

Season 4

References

1. ^ "ko:'하트시그널' 시즌 3, 입주자 모집부터 뜨거운 반응 ..5일만에 1,000명 돌파" (in Korean). The Seoul Economic Daily. October 23, 2019. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
2. ^ "ko:[공식] 강승윤, '하트시그널4' 연예인 예측단 마지막 멤버 확정" (in Korean). TENASIA via Naver. May 2, 2023.
3. ^ ""시즌5 엉망, 출연진 걱정돼"..자극적으로 돌아온 '하트시그널', '왕사남' 열풍 이을까[종합]" (in Korean). 조선일보. April 14, 2026. Retrieved April 23, 2026.
4. ^ 이, 정현 (2021-01-19). "ko:'하트시그널' 제작진, 청춘 예능 '프렌즈' 선보인다" (in Korean). Yonhap News Agency. Retrieved 2021-06-07.
5. ^ "ko:'하트시그널3' 8인 로맨스에 요동치는 안방 '연애세포'" (in Korean). The Dong-A Ilbo. May 30, 2020. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
6. ^ "ko:짝짓기 예능 통해 본 시대별 연애 방식" (in Korean). The Dong-A Ilbo. July 24, 2017. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
7. ^ "ko:[어저께TV] '하트시그널', 드라마보다 쫄깃한 커플게임" (in Korean). The Chosun Ilbo. June 10, 2017. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
8. ^ "ko:[현장]'하트시그널2' 윤종신, '소유·원이 '감각'이라면 나와 이상민은 '바람'"" (in Korean). The Seoul Economic Daily. March 15, 2018. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
9. ^ "ko:'하트시그널3' 윤시윤X한혜진X피오, NEW 예측단 '썸벤져스' 탄생" (in Korean). The Chosun Ilbo. March 24, 2020. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
10. ^ Noh, Han-bin (June 20, 2023). "ko:위너 김진우, '하트시그널4' 예측단 합류…강승윤 빈자리 채운다 [공식]" (in Korean). Mydaily via Naver. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
11. ^ "ko:'하트 시그널' 윤현찬 셰프 "이태원 경리단길 오너 셰프"" (in ko-KR). Hankoook Ilbo. July 29, 2017. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
12. ^ "ko:하트시그널, 관전 포인트? 메기 효과와 인생 상담" (in Korean). Ten Asia. June 30, 2017. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
13. ^ "ko:"화제성 1등"…'하트시그널 시즌2' 김현우·김도균·임현주·오영주, 직업부터 나이까지 관심도 UP" (in Korean). Top Star News. April 18, 2018. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
14. ^ "ko:'하트시그널 시즌2' 여자 메기 김장미 등장 '달라진 판도'" (in Korean). News 1. April 21, 2018. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
15. ^ "'Heart Signal 2' Lim Hyun-joo's astonishing recent situation."
16. ^ "ko:'하트시그널3' 천인우·박지현·임한결, 삼각관계 형성→정의동, 서민재에 '♥'[종합]" (in Korean). The Chosun Ilbo. April 2, 2020. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
17. ^ "ko:'하트시그널 시즌3' 김강열, 직업은?…'강렬한 외모로 첫 등장'" (in Korean). Top Star News. April 29, 2020. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
18. ^ "ko:'하트시그널 시즌3' 천안나, 승무원→비서 직업 변천사…"새 직장 생활에 몸무게 5kg 늘어"" (in Korean). Top Star News. May 27, 2020. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
19. ^ "ko:'하트시그널4', 5월 론칭…톱 연애 예능의 귀환" (in Korean). Naver. March 3, 2023. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
20. ^ "피부과 의사→모델까지, '하시5' 직업·나이 공개…'몰표녀' 강유경은 대학생" (in Korean). 스타투데이. April 22, 2026. Retrieved April 23, 2026.
21. ^ "Mimi claims "Heart Pairing" undergoes chaos beyond attractive participants". CHOSUNBIZ. March 7, 2025. Retrieved April 29, 2026.
22. ^ "썸 넘어 결혼으로…'하트페어링' 3월 4일 첫방" (in Korean). 스타투데이. February 7, 2025. Retrieved April 29, 2026.
23. ^ "Channel A's 'Heart Pairing' to explore modern dating with unique pairing book". CHOSUNBIZ. February 25, 2025. Retrieved April 30, 2026.
24. ^ Lee, Jae-lim (July 31, 2019). "Kang Sung-wook is sent to prison". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
25. ^ Lee, Gyu-lee (July 9, 2020). "'Heart Signal' TV star's rape sentence confirmed". The Korea Times. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
26. ^ "ko:'하시2' 김현우, 前 여자친구 논란 이어 음주운전까지…끝없는 구설수" (in Korean). Sports Seoul. October 1, 2018. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
27. ^ Song, Seung-hyun (May 4, 2020). "Revelations by alleged school bullying victims shake Korean TV industry". The Korea Herald. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
28. ^ Lim, Jang-won (June 7, 2020). "'Heart Signal' under fire for participant with assault record". The Korea Herald. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
29. ^ "ko:남태현♥서민재, 필로폰 혐의 구속영장…내일(18일) 피의자 심문" (in Korean). Naver News. Retrieved 2023-05-17.

External links

• Official Website