"Hong Kim Dong-jeon" has returned with "Problematic Men of the Rooftop Room."
On the 7th, a "KBS Spring New Entertainment Program Briefing" was held at the KBS in Yeouido, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. Attendees included Han Kyung-cheon, head of the entertainment center, Lee Hwang-seon, chief producer, Park Deok-seon, chief producer, Park Seok-hyeong, chief producer, and Park Min-jeong, chief producer.
KBS, celebrating its 52nd founding anniversary, will unveil new programs in 2025 with a significant spring reorganization aimed at strengthening the competitiveness of entertainment and drama content. In particular, to capture the 2049 young audience, entertainment will focus on killer content strategies, appointing high-profile figures such as Kang Ho-dong, Park Bo-gum, and Lee Min-jung as new hosts, committing to enhancing program competitiveness.
Among the new programs featuring high-profile figures like Kang Ho-dong, Park Bo-gum, and Lee Min-jung, "Problematic Men of the Rooftop Room" (hereafter referred to as "Ok Mun Ah"), returning after a year and three months, stands out. "Ok Mun Ah" began airing in 2018 and has been a beloved flagship knowledge talk show for seven years until it ended at episode 260 in January last year due to poor viewership.
At that time, KBS also canceled "Hong Kim Dong-jeon." The reason was the same as for "Ok Mun Ah." "Hong Kim Dong-jeon" recorded high popularity, forming a fan base to the extent that a fan cafe was created, but it could not escape the cancellation due to poor viewership. However, "Hong Kim Dong-jeon" has been revived on Netflix, meeting viewers under the name "Driver: Finding the Lost Screw." After its release, "Driver: Finding the Lost Screw" ranked first in Netflix Korea's TOP 10 from the 26th to the 28th and has continued to maintain a strong position in the rankings.
In this context, "Ok Mun Ah" has been revived, incorporating Hong Jin-kyung and Joo Woo-jae, who were active in "Hong Kim Dong-jeon," as new hosts. The inclusion of three members from "Hong Kim Dong-jeon," including Kim Sook, has led to reactions questioning whether KBS is just patching up after the loss of the cow.
Han Kyung-cheon noted, "'Hong Kim Dong-jeon' has moved to Netflix and is meeting audiences as 'Driver.' The tension of the 'Driver' participants is different from 'Hong Kim Dong-jeon.' There may be differences between the channel and OTT. Two-thirds of the 'Ok Mun Ah' members are filled with 'Hong Kim Dong-jeon' participants. Given that KBS is a public broadcaster operated by subscription fees, it is clear that there are shortcomings with 'Hong Kim Dong-jeon.' It's not channel-related, rather the content regulations themselves are completely different on OTT. The restrictions on 'Driver' are relaxed, making it so much fun. I believe that hearing suggestions to make it much stronger is not good, as it leads to many surprising events. We cannot fully lift the limits that exist on our channel. If it is not something that the whole family can watch on a public broadcast, it will be difficult to launch, no matter how popular it is. I hope for your understanding."
Park Min-jeong stated, "With 'Driver' achieving number one on Netflix, we are thrilled and supportive. There are overlaps between the members of 'Hong Kim Dong-jeon' and 'Ok Mun Ah,' particularly with Hong Jin-kyung and Kim Sook, who were central figures. However, that was not intended. Kim Sook is a founding member, and Hong Jin-kyung has been reaching out to ask to be called whenever there is an opening for an MC. Joo Woo-jae was selected because there are expectations for chemistry with Kim Jong-kook, who was a founding member. While there is some overlap, I believe there will be distinct points to watch in this different genre of programming."
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