Burning Sun

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Factual: Crime & Justice

A dramatic hunt for one of Europe's most-wanted people smugglers, recorded as it unfolds.

Two seasoned investigators go on a dramatic hunt for one of Europe's most-wanted crime bosses. Code-named Scorpion, he's smuggled thousands of people into the UK and is on the run.

'Jaw dropping', 'gripping', 'bingeable,' 'thrilling' - dramatic true stories and investigations that reveal how the world really works.

To Catch A Scorpion: The dramatic hunt for one of Europe's most-wanted people smugglers, recorded as it unfolds. 

BBC journalist, Sue Mitchell, and former soldier and aid worker, Rob Lawrie go on a search for a crime boss: a people smuggler on the run, whose codename is Scorpion. He is one of the central characters controlling the transport of migrants from the European mainland into the UK. 

Barzan Majeed - codenamed Scorpion - leads the Scorpion gang. He's on international most-wanted lists. He started his criminal career in Britain and went on to build a smuggling empire which now spans the globe. 

An international police surveillance operation trapped more than 20 of his gang and almost netted Scorpion himself, but he was tipped off and escaped. 

Sue and Rob, two seasoned investigators, team up to try to do what the police have been unable to achieve: to find Scorpion, to speak to him, to ask him to account for his crimes and to seek justice for the families he has harmed. 

Their investigation takes them to the heart of an organised criminal gang making millions from transporting thousands of migrants on boat and lorry crossings that in some cases have gone dangerously wrong, causing serious injury and putting lives at risk. They witness his operation in action and record as intense situations unfold, where vulnerable people desperate for a better future, put their lives in the hands of ruthless and dangerous criminals. 

As they edge ever closer, they meet the people helping and supporting Scorpion and unpick the financial side of his business funding his luxury life. As they start to understand the man himself, can they garner enough clues to trace his whereabouts?

BBC Radio 4 LW

Intrigue: Burning Sun: Burning Sun - Ep 1. The Phone Call

Burning Sun - Ep 1. The Phone Call

BBC Radio 4 - Intrigue, Burning Sun, Burning Sun - Ep 1. The Phone Call

The sex scandals that shook the world of K-pop.

The sex scandals that shook the world of K-pop. A tale of depravity, power and excess - Journalist Park Hyo-sil gets a tip off.

“I had no idea how big it was going to be….”

Journalist Park Hyo-sil gets a tip off that music and TV star, Jung Joon-young, is being investigated by police for secretly filming a woman during sex. We find out about Jung, his wholesome, attractive personality and wide popularity. And we meet one of his superfans whose whole life revolves around him. She, like many others, don’t want to believe the accusations against Jung.
So when Park publishes her story she encounters an extraordinary backlash. And it gets worse after the woman who made the allegation against Jung withdraws it and the police drop the case. Jung’s career goes from strength to strength. Except, someone has seen what’s on Jung’s phone…and it’s far worse than just one secret sex video. The contents of that phone will shake the K-pop world and South Korea.

For the first time, we give the definitive account of the sex scandals that brought down some of Korea’s biggest K-pop stars. It’s a tale of depravity, power and excess - hidden behind a facade of wholesome pop music.


Co-creator, presenter and writer: Chloe Hadjimatheou
Location Producer: Lee Hyun Choi
Assistant Producer and researcher: Loonie Park and Jeong-One Park
Translator and researcher: Jinny Yeon
Music: Tom Haines at Brain Audio
Sound Design: Carlos San Juan at Brain Audio
Co-creator and executive producer: Kavita Puri

ACTORS
Park Hyo-Sil: Julie Yoonnyung Lee 
Oh Se-Yeon: Rosa Escoda
Jung’s accuser: Pricilla Chung
Jung Joon-Yung: J Sebastian Lee
Drama director: Anne Isger

Intrigue: Burning Sun

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

The sex scandals that brought down some of the world's biggest K-pop stars.

The sex scandals that brought down some of the world's biggest K-pop stars. A tale of depravity, power and excess - hidden behind a facade of wholesome pop music.

The sex scandals that brought down some of the world's biggest K-pop stars. A tale of depravity, power and excess - hidden behind a facade of wholesome pop music. In 2019 some of the world's biggest music stars were found guilty of sharing secretly filmed sex videos, others of rape. 

Korean heart-throbs, used to being mobbed by adoring female fans, had been videoing themselves committing acts of terrible abuse and sharing them on group chats with each other. When all this came to light, these super-stars wound up in jail, and their global fans were left in shock. For the first time, we give the definitive account of the scandal, how it came to light and the explosive fallout, told by the people who were at the heart of uncovering the story. We explore how the case highlighted an 'epidemic' of spy-cam crimes, where women are filmed without their consent walking up metro stairs, in public toilets and during sex. And how this abuse and misogyny has driven a wedge between many men and women, so deep that some believe it's causing an existential crisis for South Korea. 

Co-creator, presenter and writer: Chloe Hadjimatheou 
Location Producer: Lee Hyun Choi 
Assistant Producer and researcher: Jeong-One Park 
Translator and researcher: Jinny Yeon 
Music: Tom Haines at Brain Audio 
Sound Design: Carlos San Juan at Brain Audio 
Co-creator and executive producer: Kavita Puri

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Burning Sun - Ep 1. The Phone Call

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