Producer Na Young-seok's team brought the spinoff successor to New Journey to the West, Three Idiots in Kenya, to Netflix amid the hiatus of New Journey to the West.
Netflix held a press conference for the new variety show Three Idiots in Kenya (abbreviated as "Keganse") on the morning of the 25th at CGV Yongsan I'Park Mall in Yongsan, Seoul. Producer Na Young-seok, producer Kim Ye-seul, and cast members Lee Soo-keun, Eun Ji-won, and Kyuhyun attended the event and spoke with domestic reporters about "Keganse."
Three Idiots in Kenya is a variety show that chronicles the chaotic African travels of the three reliable laugh makers Lee Soo-keun, Eun Ji-won, and Kyuhyun. Kenya's vast nature and the brothers' clumsy safari takeover journey promise to deliver fresh, raw laughs.
Above all, this is the first variety show Na Young-seok's team, which produced legendary hits such as 2 Days & 1 Night, Three Meals a Day, Youn's Kitchen, New Journey to the West, Earth Arcade, and Green Bean, Red Bean : Reap What You Sow, is presenting on Netflix. Accordingly, Na Young-seok PD and Kim Ye-seul PD, who was active on the production company's EggisComing YouTube channel "Channel Sibo-ya," are co-directing, raising high expectations.
Among them, Three Idiots in Kenya is the follow-up to Iceland Trip, nicknamed "Aganse," which was released in 2019 as a spinoff of the New Journey to the West series. At that time, Jo Kyuhyun won the coveted Kenya giraffe hotel in a game against overwhelming odds. After six years, the promise is being kept with a new series on the new platform, Netflix.
Na Young-seok PD said, "I came back with the story of taking a trip with old friends after a long time," expressing his feelings. He continued, "Please think of it as a follow-up to 'Aganse.' It was a small promise among us, and the timing matched so we decided to reunite after a long time, so the three of us went to Kenya and had a sizzling, retro, fascinating travel story. It's a hybrid variety show where you can also enjoy seeing these friends, who met after a long time, bicker," he said proudly.
Lee Soo-keun joked, "We didn't really want to go either," but added, "We suffered a lot in Iceland, to the point where I don't remember what we did. But getting together after a long time felt like we weren't even filming. Anyone who hasn't been to the Maasai Mara shouldn't talk about travel; every day in Kenya is so memorable. I think the show captures our enjoyment, and this trip we really enjoyed it," he said, urging anticipation.
Was working with Netflix that different from traditional broadcasting? Kim Ye-seul PD said, "If there was a difference from broadcasting, it was that the music was very different. They said the costs might be higher than when it's on air," she said in surprise.
Eun Ji-won said, "I didn't know it was Netflix. I thought it was being done on the YouTube channel 'Channel Sibo-ya.' I worried it might embarrass Korea. Imagine sending Lee Soo-keun into such a place in the world. I wondered whether our improvised comedy would translate," he said, adding laughter.
The undeniable charm point in Kenya was the "vast nature." Lee Soo-keun said, "There was an elephant right in front of me and I cried. The grandeur, I was overwhelmed," moved, and Kyuhyun added, "It wasn't just elephants; there were three birds, I think, sitting on top of an elephant and going along, and I was moved." Lee Soo-keun then said, "Seeing that with the kids next to me spoiled the moment. I immediately had lens insertion surgery after returning. I shot wearing glasses there, but if I go again I want to look closely. It was that good." Eun Ji-won agreed, "I woke up and there were hippo footprints in front of us. It means it had passed by. We were fortunate they were inside. It passed in front of our tent," he added in agreement.
Regarding this safari tour, Na Young-seok PD said, "I hope people enjoy that atmosphere. Beyond the animals, the plains give a feeling that only someone who has been there can feel, like Lee Soo-keun's expression 'I cried.' You feel as if you've dropped somewhere on earth and are standing in the vast nature. I hope people feel that overwhelming emotion with us. Africa has the animal 'big five'—elephant, hippo, buffalo, etc. Please look forward to whether we can find and see them all. We usually tour by jeep, and there are many unexpected encounters there. You have unplanned encounters; you even see things from the sky. I think some images will appear on broadcast for the first time. There's also balloon safari, and seeing a lion from the side can be dangerous. If an animal appears from the sky, the balloon descends to view it. Please look forward to those unprecedented scenes and images," he said proudly.
Of course, six years after Aganse, Kim Tae-ho PD had already showcased the giraffe hotel and even the African safari big five tour on broadcast. Na Young-seok PD admitted with a laugh, "If you ask whether my chest ached, yes, it did." Nevertheless, he said confidently, "We can show that it's different when we go."
Although only the platform has changed, there are concerns about presenting Korean-style variety shows on a global stage. Na Young-seok PD conceded, "As you know, it's not a daring new attempt at all. Because we're old brothers, you'll get a familiar feeling. But when we first planned with Netflix, there are so many excellent things Netflix is attempting these days, and we thought not every program can be like that; on the other hand, there were things we could attempt precisely because it was Netflix."
He said, "There was curiosity. It's a variation of the variety shows familiar to us Koreans that we've watched for 20 years, and we hoped that those who enjoy familiarity would welcome that familiarity after a long time. For global viewers, I wanted to show that in Korea we do this kind of work and that we are people who enjoy this. When we asked Netflix about subtitles being too many and too Korean style, they said they'd try to translate somehow and told us to go ahead. That's what Three Idiots in Kenya was made for," he said emphatically.
Kim Ye-seul PD added, "In addition to existing games, we included many new games. Among those games, there are a few that feature special judges. They could be people in Kenya or unexpected judges you wouldn't imagine. We ran many events showing the cast enjoying the moment, and the new games will likely be a viewing highlight," she said, presenting a fresh point of interest.
The eldest brother of New Journey to the West, Kang Ho-dong, was also mentioned. Kyuhyun confessed about members he would like to take next, "We talked a lot with the hyungs, and if Ho-dong hyung came, he'd really like it— we talked about it a lot." Lee Soo-keun chimed in, "Same story. He likes meat and is such a top predator," and Kyuhyun again mentioned Kang Ho-dong, "There are a lot of elders who come. I think hyung will cry." Eun Ji-won emphasized, "We said we really want to invite him at least once," he said.
Na Young-seok PD said about presenting the Korean variety chemistry of Lee Soo-keun, Eun Ji-won, and Kyuhyun on Netflix, "Now Netflix has become like the most successful department store in Korea. It seems like a place where the best products of each kind are gathered. Even in variety, if what the three of us have done is like the shops in a department store basement—there are new bagel shops, and there's also Taegukdang. If it's a place gathering the best items of many kinds, we made this thinking of potential subscribers. We thought this member lineup is sufficient," he said emphatically.
Eun Ji-won revealed, "Not to brag, but we know each other so well. It would be strange if we didn't fit. Jo Kyuhyun has changed. He's not the pure prince of ballads. His personality is dirty. He really became violent. He became prickly. He plays with the hyungs. He doesn't hold back," he exposed. Even Lee Soo-keun chimed in, "He seemed to have been under a lot of stress in other areas and released it in Africa," while Kyuhyun explained, "There was an episode right at the start, so there were reasons for my feelings," piquing curiosity.
Kyuhyun also said, "What was so fun is that every week Seok-geun hyung and Ji-won hyung watch 'Han Moon-chul's Dashcam Review' and 'Naked World History.' The chemistry of those hyungs when they're separate and when you put the two together is so different. The chemistry is overwhelming. It's like 1+1 is not 2 but 10, so you'll see me running wild as well," he said confidently.
Lee Soo-keun said, "Besides the chemistry, I was tired from working with Na Young-seok PD for so long. But I was surprised that a fresh young sensibility from PD Ye-seul came in. A generational change was needed," he said in surprise. Kim Ye-seul PD said, "Seok-geun sunbaenim said he cried in Kenya, but for me it was a program where I laughed so much during filming that I cried. We prepared for such a long time and worked hard, so it's like a child to me," she said.
Finally, Na Young-seok PD said, "Now that we've come this far, I'm greedy. The English title of 'Keganse' is '3 idiots in Kenya.' Even if we don't know, I hear Netflix headquarters knows all the figures, and if you all watch it, 'Three Idiots in Cruise' might be possible," he said, raising expectations.
Three Idiots in Kenya is released on Netflix today (the 25th).
[Photo] OSEN reporter Ji Hyung-jun.
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