"Directionally challenged" Park Ji-hyun, Son Tae-jin and Kim Yong-bin take on a travel challenge together.
On the morning of the 16th at the Shocking K-pop Center in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, ENA's new variety show "It's OK to be directionally challenged" held a production presentation. Producer Gong Dae-han, Song Hae-na, Kim Won-hoon, Park Ji-hyun, Son Tae-jin and Kim Yong-bin attended the presentation and spoke.
"It's OK to be directionally challenged" is a variety show where confused, directionally challenged celebrities take on trips custom-designed by creators. For travelers who are clumsy, reluctant to plan and short on time but still want to go, customized themed tours will be prepared. Song Hae-na and Kim Won-hoon join as MCs to add quick banter, and Park Ji-hyun, Son Tae-jin and Kim Yong-bin, who form the "directionally challenged club," set off on a bumpy journey.
When asked why he planned the program, producer Gong Dae-han said, "Before I got married I always traveled alone, so I thought I was an expert, but after marriage the theme of travel changed. Traveling with my father-in-law, traveling to satisfy my wife. As I had to go to places I hadn't been, I found myself becoming directionally challenged. Travel is great for eating delicious food and seeing beautiful things, but I thought the most important thing is who you go with. One of the program's differences is that each trip has a theme. We take submissions and prepare trips such as a Japan trip good for going with dad and sister, and a Taiwan trip good for travel beginners," he explained.
Asked why Park Ji-hyun, Son Tae-jin and Kim Yong-bin were recruited as "directionally challenged club members," he said, "They're popular and very active in variety shows. A bigger reason is that they need to resonate with viewers. When you say directionally challenged, we thought of travel beginners, and during the selection process we thought a trot singer might not have traveled abroad much, so we had a first meeting. Both Yong-bin and Tae-jin have lived abroad, but they had been too busy and hadn't been overseas in a long time. So we made the initial approach, and Ji-hyun came up from Mokpo. She was afraid of flying, so she had hardly traveled abroad. We thought these people could well represent all of Korea's directionally challenged, travel beginners, so we cast them," he said.
When asked why creators were hired as travel designers, producer Gong Dae-han said, "I wanted to show beginners a variety of travel. When a celebrity plans a trip and goes, people want to go too, but they can't break out of their own frame. For example, there are foods famous locally but hard to access. By embedding those into the route, beginners can experience them and break their prejudices," he said.
When Kim Yong-bin was asked how he felt about being cast in "It's OK to be directionally challenged," he said, "I thought it might be a program where I go around with nothing, not even a phone. Since I hadn't traveled alone, I wondered if this program suited me. I was a complete blank slate and worried whether I could do well, but I think I did really well."
Son Tae-jin said, "Until now I never thought of myself as directionally challenged, but through this program I reconsidered the definition of being directionally challenged. It's not that I can't find the way, but how to efficiently gain new experiences others haven't had even when traveling. In that sense, it made me think my travels had been wasted," he confessed.
Park Ji-hyun continued, "I also didn't think I was directionally challenged. While doing this program I thought I could really get lost, and I think it's a program that can show anyone can be directionally challenged," she said.
However, Kim Won-hoon said of the three, "When we first recorded in the studio I was so surprised. I couldn't believe they could be so bad at finding their way. A small spoiler: Yong-bin used a navigation device instead of a map app. I thought the casting was perfect. It guides you to the roadway. Yong-bin runs 20, 30 km," he said, drawing laughter. Kim Yong-bin also admitted, "I got lost for three hours on a route that should have taken one traffic light to cross."
When asked who was the most directionally challenged, Kim Won-hoon picked Kim Yong-bin. He explained, "I can only think of Yong-bin. Earlier Tae-jin and Ji-hyun are quite directionally challenged too. But Yong-bin doesn't just get lost, he simply doesn't know how to walk. He has no sense of direction at all, so I thought, 'So there is such a character.'" Meanwhile, Song Hae-na picked Park Ji-hyun and said, "She looks very competent, but there's a funny clumsy side. Ji-hyun insists she's not directionally challenged, but I think she's a major directionally challenged person." Park Ji-hyun retorted, "I disagree. I never thought I was directionally challenged and I found my way very well during filming. I found my way well, but it wasn't because I'm directionally challenged; it was the kind of trial and error anyone can experience," but Song Hae-na added, "She even turned on a Korean map abroad," exposing her and adding more laughter.
Song Hae-na, who is currently active on "I Am Solo," was asked about chemistry with Kim Won-hoon as MCs. She said, "People probably couldn't imagine me co-hosting with someone else because my 'I Am Solo' MC image is strong. Luckily he's like a younger brother so I could treat him casually, and Won-hoon is quick-witted and clever so I was comfortable." Kim Won-hoon then said, "During recording I felt sorry because the sister was busy fixing things. When I made a mess she often cleaned up after me. It's gradually getting better and our teamwork is clicking," he confessed.
Asked about differences from other travel shows from an MC's perspective, Song Hae-na said, "It's not just about introducing travel courses. I also feel like when you travel alone versus with others your travel style changes. You can see that these three perfect people also have silly sides like me. As they find their way, you can see various tendencies and how they appear when someone accompanies them."
Kim Won-hoon also said, "We saw a lot of ourselves. On unfamiliar roads you can get lost and face unexpected situations that can make a trip unpredictable. The three created many funny situations. There's also fun in following routes designed by travel experts."
Producer Gong Dae-han was asked whether cast changes occur depending on the travel theme. He said, "At the start Ji-hyun and Tae-jin first go on a Taiwan trip. That theme is a 2-night, 3-day route good for travel beginners. The next trip is a domestic trip featuring Yong-bin. That theme is a K small city you would want to introduce to a foreign friend. Then a well-known foreign friend appears to show strong sister-like chemistry. Next is a Japan trip with dad and sister as the theme, and which cast joins will be revealed later in the trailer," he previewed, raising expectations.
When asked if there were fellow celebrities he'd like to travel with, Son Tae-jin said, "Personally, Kim Won-hoon sometimes teases us, but I wonder if he can find his way that well. I honestly don't think it'll be easy here either," joking and drawing laughter. Kim Won-hoon said, "I travel once a month. Travel is a hobby. I was shocked watching the three travel. Their tendencies are completely different. If given the chance I'd be willing to travel with them," he said confidently.
Song Hae-na also said, "I travel a lot, so I think I might get around better than the three," but Son Tae-jin replied, "We started the same way." He added about this trip, "My concept and values about travel have been renewed. I used to feel pressured to go to must-see spots in Taiwan, and I didn't want to travel just because I had to check places off. During this trip I realized if you design a trip to your own tastes and return happy, it's a valuable trip," he said.
When asked about the program's viewing points, Park Ji-hyun said, "As surrogate travelers they experience trial and error first. There are scenes of vicarious satisfaction, so please watch closely." Son Tae-jin said, "It's my first travel variety show so I was worried about whether I could do well and felt some pressure. Since childhood I've thought if I could invest in something, I'd travel a lot. You learn and experience a lot, and letting go of your current situation to embrace a new culture helps each other a lot. I'm grateful to have a legitimate opportunity to work and heal, and I'll do my best to show a new side of myself."
Kim Yong-bin said, "I'm bad at finding my way. But this program gives confidence to people like me to be brave and try," and Kim Won-hoon said, "To use an analogy, it's like eating a sweet potato without water on a sweltering summer day, but the sweet potato is so tasty you keep eating. There are many other travel programs that show great destinations and delicious food, but this program has lots to see and the frustration is entertaining. As an MC I thought the show has a lot of distinctiveness even watching the footage." Song Hae-na added, "Won-hoon and I greet viewers with that frustrating but refreshing empathy. Getting lost is also part of travel. I hope people see it as another kind of travel, a travel you can do together."
Producer Gong Dae-han said, "All three have many charms. Ji-hyun is the first person I've seen openly show underwear on variety shows. It's fresh and shocking. Tae-jin's food critiques are Michelin three-star level. He uses flavor expressions you've never heard before in a way that makes you feel them with your tongue. Yong-bin was called a blank slate, and he truly is. That's great because his reactions to the first taste of new food and to unfamiliar scenery are pure. Those charms are abundant," adding, "What I felt while filming is that when someone gets lost, just one person who laughs with them turns it into a memory. Viewers will see how much they laugh and how many memories they make."
Meanwhile, "It's OK to be directionally challenged" premieres on the 18th at 7:50 p.m.
[photo] OSEN reporter Choi Gyu-han
[OSEN]