Kim Joon-ho and the Woo brothers are firmly regaining the loosened discipline of the parenting entertainment industry, leading the Nth heyday of KBS2's "The Return of Superman". The interest and popularity of viewers towards the three fathers are immense. Flower-boy dad Kim Joon-ho's sense of entertainment has peaked, the eldest prince Eun-woo has grown up to be a composed older brother, and the cute second child Jeong-woo has recently started talking, truly carrying the show. In particular, Jeong-woo ranked within the top 10 for two consecutive weeks in the non-drama institutional sector's topic popularity in TV-OTT last month, establishing himself as the youngest popular figure. Previously, Eun-woo also ranked 3rd in the "Guest Appearance Popularity Ranking" for the 48th week of 2023.
"The Return of Superman" has received great love from the public for 13 years since its first broadcast in 2013. Recently, it was awarded the president's commendation at the 14th "Population Day" ceremony hosted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, showcasing the dignity of a "national parenting entertainment". Olympic gold medalist fencer Kim Joon-ho made his first appearance in August 2022 with young Eun-woo, marking already four years in the show. At that time, Jeong-woo had not yet been born, and before long, they became the longest-running family in "The Return of Superman".
Recently, Kim Joon-ho, who met with OSEN, noted, "When I started "The Return of Superman," I was also an active fencer, so I didn't think about doing the show for a long time. It was even more so because Jeong-woo wasn't born yet," adding, "In fact, during my active years, I only went home once every three months and couldn't see my children. But the baby was continuously growing, and I wanted to capture that on video. I felt the purpose of being able to spend time with the children was good, so I decided to appear. My mindset was, 'Let's try as long as we can'."
The eldest son Eun-woo, born in October 2021, is actively taking on the role of a reliable older brother to his younger brother Jeong-woo. He is aware that he appears on "The Return of Superman."
Kim Joon-ho mentioned, "The show presents everything naturally. Eun-woo recognizes it when he watches 'The Return of Superman' and says, 'That's Eun-woo! That's Jeong-woo!' There are times he mimics lines from the show," and he added, "If he was stressed when his kindergarten teachers or friends mentioned that he appears on the show, I would be worried, but so far, that hasn't happened. However, I try to be careful about exposing our home as much as possible. That seems unavoidable."
He continued, "I'm not one to completely avoid that style when going out with my wife. However, since I'm often not home due to work, I worry when my wife and the kids are home alone," and added, "There were times the children were surprised when a stranger suddenly offered them food or snacks. That's a sudden situation my wife and I never thought of, so we naturally worry in those instances."
The interview took place at Kim Joon-ho's home, where Eun-woo and Jeong-woo were overflowing with energy as they played. The Woo brothers are healing to watch, and many viewers are curious about their harmonious parenting style.
He confessed, "It's not me but my wife and mother-in-law who help. Right now, the brothers don't fight and get along well, but as time goes on and they grow up, they will start to bicker or argue a bit. That's just how boys are. I don't have high expectations regarding that."
"I feel grateful to my wife every time I hear compliments like 'You raised the children well,'" he said, "When I hear such things outside, I say, 'It's because my wife and mother-in-law raised them well,'" adding, "In fact, I've been doing various things, so I haven't had the time to raise them directly. Since most of the responsibility falls on my wife and mother-in-law, when I get complimented, I talk about my wife. I always have a grateful heart," revealing his affection.
Regarding parenting principles, he shared, "I think the most important thing is to discuss a lot with my wife. There are things that should be learned at this stage regarding education, but if there are things I believe don't need to be done right now, I express that. For instance, it's good to set a regular time to sleep, but I think it's okay if the time to wake up is a bit more flexible. Issues like those don't usually cause major trouble with my wife. And I mostly follow what my wife says," he said with a laugh.
In addition, Kim Joon-ho stated, "If they make a mistake, I scold them right away. I believe we need to address mistakes immediately. Saying, 'We'll talk about it later' doesn't seem right to me. My wife tends to explain first; there are times when my disciplinary approach is correct and times when my wife's is. We discuss how to raise them based on the situation, and we align well on that. We don't discipline or educate the children according to just one person's opinion." (Continued in interview③)
[Photo] Provided by 'The Return of Superman'
[OSEN]