"The Antarctic chef" depicted a tense landing scene.
The MBC variety show "The Antarctic Chef" aired its first episode on the 17th.
Paik Jong-won said, "I want to do my best and come back having done something," and the members also said, "I hope warmth is conveyed through a warm meal."
I asked why Paik Jong-won wanted to go to Antarctica. Paik Jong-won said, "This summer surprised me; the start of climate change is Antarctica," and "Those who are there researching that are enduring hardships, so I wondered what I could do for the team members — a kind of sense of mission," he said. The production team, saying they planned to visit places authorized by the state, honestly said, "Then it gets more serious. Isn't it a burden? Actually, it was a burden."
They then called up the members who filmed in 2024. Before going to Antarctica, the members had received survival training such as sea, firefighting and land safety training, and they said, "We didn't know going to Antarctica would be this complicated. After taking the lessons, we realized we have to do it this way," and, when told there was a risk of drowning, added, "After receiving survival training closely related to survival, I felt Antarctica is really dangerous." In response, Paik Jong-won said, "It's not just us. It's not something to go into lightly," and said, "The team members must have felt heavy-hearted and responsible."
A scene of them eating after the types of training was shown. At Paik Jong-won's remark that "ingredients are scarce and almost everything is frozen, so vegetables are scarce," everyone was surprised. In fact, most products in Antarctica were frozen. While they wondered whether they could serve a warm meal, they heard they could not bring seasonings, and Paik Jong-won was at a loss.
The members who had so struggled to get there arrived at their lodging. A flight to Antarctica was canceled because of bad weather. A blizzard made it impossible to see ahead. They had to wait for the flight delayed until the next day. When bad weather made entry to Antarctica impossible, Paik Jong-won said, "It's not easy," and everyone was flustered.
With one more day of delay, the production team said, "We received a text about the flight schedule," and reported that entry to Antarctica was impossible for the fourth time, and Paik Jong-won, saying, "I'm going crazy," and "I'm losing my mind," showed a conflicted expression.
Thus came the fifth day of waiting. They waited in silence, only awaiting news of entry. At that time, the production team announced news that entry was possible, and after five days everyone applauded and cheered at the news. Paik Jong-won worried, "It won't change overnight, will it?" Fortunately, they said entry was 80 to 90% likely, and everyone regained their smiles.
When they arrived at the King Sejong Station, penguins greeted them first. A former artillery officer (mess hall) Paik Jong-won boldly moved to King Sejong Station, and in particular the sight of the completely collapsed ice cliff was distressing. There were traces of steep cliffs crumbling and falling. Ice floes covered the area around the ice cliff. Paik Jong-won said, "I feel global warming is serious; it's chilling. Rapid change is visible," and expressed sorrow.
Above all, a situation where they could not return to the station because of high waves was shown. A blizzard that obscured visibility. Recording was halted due to an emergency situation in which they could be shipwrecked if something went wrong. The members, saying, "We were scared and very worried," were flustered by the sudden situation, and Paik Jong-won said, "I thought the production team was joking," he said. In the real emergency they gathered in a shelter. Upon being notified that "the sea is not good, we will not sail; it is absolutely unsafe," everyone shouted, "This is serious, it's dangerous," and panicked, and Im Soo-hyang warned the tension, saying, "I was scared, thinking I might die."
"The Antarctic Chef" is a program that shows the process of serving a warm meal to overwintering personnel who are isolated and living in the harsh Antarctic environment out of a single sense of mission.
[Photo] "Broadcast screen"
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