Physical: Asia boasts an unprecedented scale.
On the 24th, a press conference for the Netflix variety show Physical: Asia was held at The Westin Josun Seoul, Parnas, in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Producer Jang Ho-gi attended the event in person along with Yoon Seong-bin, Kim Min-jae, Amotti, Jang Eun-sil, and Choi Seung-yeon, while Kim Dong-hyun, Okami Yooshin, James Rusamikae, Robert Whittaker, Urengbayar Bayarsaikhan, Rejeb KARA, and Igets Exercerioner attended remotely and spoke.
Physical: Asia is a physical war in which eight countries—Korea, Japan, Thailand, Mongolia, Türkiye, Indonesia, Australia, and the Philippines—compete under their national flags, and legendary athletes from a variety of disciplines gather in a massive-scale event that resembles an international tournament. Traditional sports representing each country, such as Korean ssireum, Mongolian wrestling, Thai muay thai, and Turkish oil wrestling, will also see real matches.
With participants of various nationalities appearing, multiple languages are spoken simultaneously. Therefore, the production used subtitle colors matching each designated team color so that viewers can intuitively identify speakers and follow the conversation flow by subtitle color alone, even if they are not familiar with a specific language.
Producer Jang Ho-gi, who directed the show, explained the reason for planning a national team competition: "I think Netflix viewers want content they can only see on Netflix. From that perspective, Physical: Asia is a new form of Olympic-style content you can see only on Netflix and in the Physical series. The legendary athletes from eight countries gave their best, and please look forward to what kind of performances they will show, and to the many characters you haven't seen in Korean content."
Jang asked that the decision to recruit legendary athletes be seen in the spirit of expansion, saying, "Although we set it as Asia, please see it as an expansion because the show started in Korea." He added, "Within that concept we selected countries with distinct characteristics and strong interest in sports and invited athletes. It was difficult to gather those based in Korea as well, but with someone like Pacquiao, we contacted him multiple times and visited his home in the Philippines. I saw his training, ate home-cooked meals with him, and after explaining the program he decided to appear on the spot—it's a special memory."
The main trailer previously released revealed an overwhelming-scale set and huge quests. Regarding preparation, Producer Jang said, "These days interest in Korean culture is tremendous. That was gratifying. We prepared for more than a year to capture Asia's diverse cultures, and we chose Gyeongbokgung Geunjeongjeon as a themed location and planned quests imagining what it would have looked like if such athletic competitions had been held at Geunjeongjeon in the past."
Jang explained, "Drums also appear a lot. We used large drums as an homage to the 1988 Seoul Olympics. As you briefly saw, activities like climbing a mountain, sunrise scenes, or boarding a ship were inspired by Asian etymology, so I think viewers will enjoy discovering aspects of Korean culture and history and elements of Asia."
The prize for Physical: Asia is reportedly a whopping 1 billion won. Producer Jang Ho-gi said, "Although our program offers a large prize, I don't think people competed solely for the money. They have personal honor and pride, and the prize follows. Everyone who appeared gave their all to protect national honor and pride in physical ability."
The cast's determination was exceptional. How did the Korean team prepare mentally for Physical: Asia? Team leader Kim Dong-hyun said, "I appeared on Physical: 100 season 2, and I have painful memories from then. When I broke the torso that day I thought, 'I will never live with this body again.' I learned a lot then. I trained not knowing what opportunities might come, and when this great opportunity came to compete under the national flag, I thought of it as being a national representative and gave my best. I said Physical Asia should show national representatives fighting the world's strong people to demonstrate strength."
Yoon Seong-bin said, "I appeared on Physical: 100 season 1, which was an individual competition, so I did not feel responsibility or the burden that my actions could cause my team to collapse. This time a single person's actions can change the outcome, so I stepped forward more and grew closer to teammates as we accumulated experience. That's our team's strength, and we became very close in the waiting room. Through conversations we learned each other's tendencies and filled in each other's shortcomings."
Jang Eun-sil also said, "I wanted the underdog title when I was on Physical: 100 season 1. Preparing for Physical: Asia brought responsibility and many thoughts. I wanted to do well, and to avoid being a burden on the team I increased my training volume. I worked to build physical strength and endurance and did my best."
CrossFit Asia champion Choi Seung-yeon said, "Even representing Korea, I had never held an official position before. Being a representative was both an honor and a burden. I'm an individual athlete, but this is a team, so I thought I must not be a burden. Even if I wanted to stop, I thought, 'I can't do this.' I think I worked hard."
Active cheonhajangsa Kim Min-jae said, "I couldn't believe I would appear on Netflix, and given my recent record I'm the best among ssireum athletes, so the pressure of representing ssireum was heavy. Because it's a team event, if I fail everyone is out, so I focused on fitness and trained more," and Physical: 100 season 2 winner Amotti recalled, "In season 2, if I did well it was thanks to me, and if I did poorly it was my fault. As someone who likes exercise, representing my country was a huge burden. But thinking I was with teammates made me feel I could trust them and do it. I thought I should give it my all, and it was a wonderful time."
Asked about the Korean team's strengths and members' main weapons, Kim Dong-hyun said, "Our team really gathered members with very different colors. I don't know how other teams prepared, but our team has six team leaders. I'm just a senior older brother type team leader, and many have team leader experience, so having six team leaders is Korea's strength."
Kim Dong-hyun added, "Amotti is perfect. When you think of physical ability, you think of Amotti; she's a perfect member. If people choose a character to break the final stage, they'd pick someone to smash everything; for that I'd choose Yoon Seong-bin. And Jang Eun-sil trains with me in martial arts techniques, she has strength and stamina. She has the vibe of a warrior."
Kim Dong-hyun said, "When it comes to physical ability among men, Amotti comes to mind; for female athletes it's Choi Seung-yeon. So you could say there's a male Amotti and a female Choi Seung-yeon. Kim Min-jae may be unknown to some, but in the ssireum world at a young age he has no rivals. When you think of a jangsa or a bull, you think of Kim Min-jae. That's the kind of athlete he is. My strength is that I listen to others' opinions well."
Also, leaders from the eight countries participated remotely to speak. Pacquiao, asked about being recruited, said, "When I first received the invitation to Physical Asia I was very excited. I'm grateful to have been chosen to represent, and I feel good to have the opportunity. I think our team's strength is perfection. I planned it, and the team has fast and strong athletes. I think the combination is perfect."
Next, Australia's Robert Whittaker said, "I'm very proud of my teammates. I didn't know some of what they could do, but they have excellent skills and capabilities. Through contact so far it feels like a kind of comradeship. I appreciate strong power and good capability," and Japan's Okami Yooshin said, "I really enjoyed watching Physical: 100 seasons 1 and 2, and I'm honored to appear representing Japan. The top athletes from judo, wrestling, mixed martial arts, baseball, and swimming are gathered. Because we entered with the determination to represent Japan, I think this will make Japan strong."
Thailand's James Rusamikae said, "I was so happy to be able to appear. I think this is the largest-scale shoot I've done in my entertainment industry career. We filmed enjoyably, ate well, slept well, and had a good time. I remember the Thailand team was cute, lively, and had fun filming," and Mongolia's Urengbayar said, "I think Mongolia's greatest strength is having athletes who have competed in various fields and the experience of nomadic life, which allows us to show nomads' endurance to the end."
Türkiye's Rejeb KARA said, "I participated to represent my country. I have been champion several times in the traditional sport of oil wrestling and have represented my country. I came to Korea to represent my country well and joined. Physical Asia was a great experience and I made good friends," and Indonesia's Igets said, "It was an honor to participate and tell my story here, and there were many surprising moments during participation. I could see athletes' competitiveness firsthand. It was amazing to feel the passion of the experts on site. The Indonesian team has remarkable cohesion. I think this cohesion comes from the Garuda spirit. Mentally strong, we support each other when tired or struggling, which I think is the team's strength."
Kim Dong-hyun said the most impressive thing during filming was, "When I appeared on Physical 100 season 2 I came simply with the mindset of appearing on a variety show. But when I arrived on site I became immersed in the atmosphere and realized from the athletes' mindset that if you don't stay sharp and do things properly something bad could happen."
Kim Dong-hyun added, "I knew the scale and immersion of the physical side this time, so I entered thinking they must have prepared something great, yet I was still really surprised. I entered feeling like someone who came to fight in that era, and seeing the legendary athletes I know risking their lives here made me feel Physical is different and amazing."
Producer Jang Ho-gi said about what he paid attention to while producing Physical: Asia, "The participants had such heavy hearts I wondered if this was a variety show. Because we only invited athletes from other countries, we were careful to avoid causing discomfort or difficulties for them. In editing, unlike ordinary variety shows or previous seasons where you can edit coldly, I felt that wouldn't be right, so we tried to be as balanced as possible. I think viewers in each country will view those aspects positively."
Regarding fairness for the Asia special, Jang said, "Our program differs from official sports competitions because it doesn't separate by race, gender, or age. Some have said it was inappropriate to bring athletes from faraway countries this time. But an American also appeared in Physical 100 season 1. This program aims to transcend such limits; it meant expanding from Korea to neighboring countries, not limiting it to only Asians. I hope people view it favorably as a program that can include everyone."
Finally, Kim Dong-hyun said, "On Oct. 28, Physical Asia: Kim Dong-hyun, Amotti, Yoon Seong-bin, Jang Eun-sil, Choi Seung-yeon, Kim Min-jae. We fought with our lives, united as one—live together or die apart. Please watch closely."
Meanwhile, the national team physical war Physical: Asia episodes 1-4 will be released worldwide on Netflix on Tuesday, Oct. 28 at 4 p.m. Episodes 5-6 will follow on Tuesday, Nov. 4 at 5 p.m., episodes 7-9 on Tuesday, Nov. 11 at 5 p.m., and episodes 10-12 on Tuesday, Nov. 18 at 5 p.m.
[Photo] Reporter Jo Eun-jung
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