The legendary baseball player Park Chan-ho of Korea and the representative "spiritual anchor" of Korea, monk Beopjeong, opened the first chapter of KBS 1TV's ambitiously presented "Emotional Show of 100 People: The Signature."
The first broadcast of "Emotional Show of 100 People: The Signature" aired on the 29th at 7:40 p.m. This new concept emotional program highlights the lives of figures representing various fields such as art, sports, broadcasting, and culture, through their possessions, or "signatures." It drew attention as it went beyond the valuation of objects, reflecting the narratives of the individuals behind these possessions and the sentiments of the times.
The first signature was the glove, baseball, and spikes used by the "Korean Express" Park Chan-ho, who made his major league debut in 1994 and marked a historic moment in Korean baseball. Park Chan-ho provided great hope and inspiration during the 1997 financial crisis when Korea was in turmoil, and as such, his "signature" is expected to hold value beyond a mere sports souvenir.
Park Chan-ho said, "The year 1997 holds great significance for me. I established a foundation. At that time, many children from single-parent households could not go to school. I founded the foundation to help the children of unemployed parents, giving scholarships and creating opportunities for them to attend school. I have also sought to instill goals, dreams, and a spirit of challenge in young baseball players." He impressed many by noting that three players from the foundation are now active in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), particularly praising Kim Hye-sung, who is currently playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers, as a "wonderful junior" from the first class of the "Park Chan-ho Baseball Camp."
The items he showcased as "signatures" included the winning ball from his first major league victory, a glove inscribed with the term "mental concentration" in Korean, and spikes that were still covered with dirt from the last game of the 1997 season. The average appraisal value of the three possessions determined by the 100-member emotional panel was about 1.6 billion won. Park Chan-ho expressed surprise, saying, "The amount was much higher than I expected. I am glad that my career has been recognized so greatly." Meanwhile, the professional valuers assessed the items at 340 million won. Park Chan-ho added, "I hope that future generations will see the 'signature' and be inspired, becoming symbols of those who challenge themselves again from despair."
Following this, the "Papillon chair" of monk Beopjeong, a spiritual teacher representing Korea who passed away in 2010, was introduced as the second signature. It was noted that the "Papillon chair" was created and used by monk Beopjeong during the writing of his book "Muso-yu," with the first disciple, Monk Deokjo, and former announcer Lee Gye-jin, known as Beopjeong's lay disciple. The "Papillon chair" was named as such because monk Beopjeong reflected on whether he was also wasting his life, after realizing that the character Papillon in the movie was imprisoned on a deserted island due to a waste of life.
In particular, the "Papillon chair" was selected as an excellent case for the land and cultural heritage agency's project to discover modern and contemporary cultural heritage, highlighting its unique value. The 100-member emotional panel expressed that the valuation was immeasurable due to the teachings and warmth embodied in monk Beopjeong's "signature." The professional valuers declared the appraisal void, describing it as a "priceless treasure," using the four-character idiom "Mugaji-bo (無價之寶)". Monk Deokjo reflected, "I hope that the 'Papillon chair,' which had a balanced distance from the world, will long be remembered as a 'spiritual legacy' infused with the spirit of a practitioner," prompting deeper reflections on the meaning of cultural assets.
In the second episode of the new emotional program 'Emotional Show of 100 People: The Signature,' actress Kim Jung-eun and announcer Park Cheol-kyu will share emotions in real time with the public, and the 'signatures' of singer Kim Yeon-ja and actor Jang Hyuk are expected to be revealed. Episode 2 of 'Emotional Show of 100 People: The Signature' will be broadcast live on KBS 1TV at 7:40 p.m. on July 30 (Wednesday).
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