The representative long-running program of KBS1, 'Six O'Clock My Hometown,' has been capturing the living room with its unchanged emotions and warm resonance for over 30 years.
Since its first broadcast in May 1991, this program has served as a bridge connecting urban and rural areas, as well as generations, quietly upholding the essence of public broadcasting, which centers on 'human stories,' beyond simple information delivery.
In particular, every Tuesday, the 'Run Hometown Bus,' which runs along the rural roads across the country, symbolizes 'Six O'Clock My Hometown.' When the national guide, singer Kim Jung-yeon, gets on the bus after visiting the local market, applause erupts, and she shares life stories she has always wanted to tell. Inside the 'Running Hometown Bus,' the heartfelt hosting of national guide singer Kim Jung-yeon shines in consecutive memorable scenes.
Joining the hometown bus in Season 1 in 2009, Kim Jung-yeon has been conveying the touching stories of hometown elders through Seasons 2 and 3 until now. The reason why a real drama with not a single repeated story is possible comes from the sincerity of national guide Kim Jung-yeon.
Kim Jung-yeon said, 'There are many elderly people living alone. Just hearing someone listen to my story changes their expressions. When I come close like a daughter, kneel down, and make eye contact, their hearts begin to open. They say that for that moment, they don't feel lonely.'
When 'Six O'Clock My Hometown' marked its 8,000th broadcast last year, KBS 9 o'clock news 'Anchor人' segment spotlighted her day, which is no coincidence. Anchor Kim Hyun-kyung directly boarded the military bus in Namwon City, Jeollabuk-do, and asked Kim Jung-yeon, the national guide, about her secret to longevity after seeing her hosting without a script.
At that time, Kim Jung-yeon responded, 'The secret is genuinely listening. A single phrase like, 'Mom, how have you been lately?' opens the hearts of the elderly. The answers are always different, but the common emotion is 'waiting.' The moment parents wait for their children is felt when they hold hands.'
Kim Jung-yeon has been listed in the 'Guinness Book' as the broadcaster who has ridden national military buses the most. However, what is more valuable than that record are the thousands of elderly people she has encountered. Even amid the major currents of urbanization, aging, and regional extinction, KBS 'Six O'Clock My Hometown' continues to quietly run on the hometown path with Kim Jung-yeon today. The unscripted drama of life that Kim Jung-yeon writes with the rural elders is expected to continue. Regardless of the rapid changes in the era, the hometown will always be in the same place.
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