If you were to name the hottest baby in Korea right now, wouldn't it be Haru, the son of Shim Hyung-tak and Saya. Shim Hyung-tak appeared with his 164-day-old son Haru on KBS2's variety show The Return of SUPERMAN (hereinafter The Return of SUPERMAN), achieving astonishing ratings from the first broadcast and instantly becoming the nation's "healing baby."
The Return of SUPERMAN has drawn viewers' attention steadily for 13 years since it first aired in 2013. On July, he received the presidential citation at the 14th Population Day commemoration, showing the dignity of a "national parenting variety show." Shim Hyung-tak and his son Haru simultaneously entered the top 10 in the TV-OTT non-drama performer popularity rankings recently, proving high interest. (Good Data Corporation 기준)
At the center of that popularity is "baby angel" Haru. Shim Hyung-tak married his Japanese wife Saya in 2023, and Haru was born in January of this year. With a messy Sonokong-like hairdo that looks as if it popped out of a comic, a doll-like appearance, and a consistently bright smile, "rating fairy" Haru has been loved widely, with YouTube views reaching into the millions at times.
Since joining The Return of SUPERMAN, Shim Hyung-tak recently gave his first interview to OSEN and, holding Haru at home where the actual show recordings take place, shared a variety of stories.
When Haru appeared, he drew great interest, and his popularity is nothing short of extraordinary. Father Shim Hyung-tak said, "Actually, at home we mostly only see Haru, so we don't go out much. Even so, when we do go out, people recognize Haru so often," and added, "My wife and I couldn't take a honeymoon, so we went to Hawaii for a prenatal trip. This time we went to Hawaii again for a honeymoon, and we visited the same places with Haru. Even in Hawaii people recognized Haru. What was more surprising was that there are many Japanese people in Hawaii, and they all recognized Haru and asked, 'Could we take a photo?' We were grateful they liked our family so much."
He continued, "These days I'm being called 'Haru's dad' rather than Shim Hyung-tak. When Saya and I used to go out together people would say 'That's Shim Hyung-tak' or 'That's Saya,' but now even if they know who the parents are they look for Haru first. They don't talk to me first and everyone just stares at Haru," reflecting on his son's astonishing popularity.
But along with the soaring popularity, fake news and misunderstandings that trouble the family have also emerged. In particular, a fake news article claiming "Haru earned 500 million won from commercials" was reported as if it were true, which was very upsetting and embarrassing.
One outlet reported, citing the advertising industry, that Haru signed about six advertising contracts within three months, with total income exceeding 500 million won. However, Shim Hyung-tak drew a clear line, saying it was an exaggerated story that did not match the facts.
He said, "(Before this interview) just yesterday an older friend contacted me. He's not married yet and said, 'I'm a Haru fan, I watched from morning till night.' There are many people who contact me like that. I'm very thankful for the interest, but they say things like, 'Where did you see that—Director Bong Joon-ho found Haru,' 'Prime Minister Ishiba did something about Haru's photo,' and so on. Because Haru appears a lot on broadcasts and YouTube, even close acquaintances believe such news or reports. I was very surprised," and added, "People around me pass along those stories. When I hear them I should just dismiss them as fake news, but I can't. Since it's not true, I have to explain, but I can't go around explaining to everyone one by one, and it's really frustrating."
He also said, "There was another article recently saying Haru earned 500 million won from commercials, that he filmed six commercials. I wish I had earned that. (laughs) I hope we do. (laughs) We're truly grateful and happy for the much love, but there are many fake news stories," and continued, "We are sincerely thankful for the love and interest directed at Haru and our family, but it's upsetting that excessive fake news that isn't true spreads."
Shim Hyung-tak and Saya said they have set up a separate bank account to steadily save Haru's appearance fees, adding, "This is our first interview since revealing Haru to the world through The Return of SUPERMAN. This is our sincere wish. We really hope there will be no fake news about our child and family," they pleaded earnestly.
Earlier, Shim Hyung-tak surprised people on The Return of SUPERMAN by saying, "I plan to have up to a third child. My wife Saya planned up to a fourth, but I cut that down by one."
On this he said, "It's possible. That's why I'm in a hurry. Because of my age. We should have children while we have the strength. (laughs) You need to be with them when they're young. To be with them during their growth, we should quickly have up to three children; I think we should do it within about four years," and added, "I'm planning a plan for raising a second child while raising Haru."
Shim Hyung-tak also said, "Saya has an older sister who was born in 1993. She is raising three children now and her eldest has entered elementary school. My sister-in-law works late and my sister-in-law's wife handles childcare alone; she's truly a super mom. Watching that, Saya seemed to think she could definitely do it," and added, "In Japan families tend to have many children. They don't have just one but two or three. I want to have many children and create a lively home, and I really hope for a daughter."
Sitting beside him, his wife Saya laughed and said, "Seeing my older sister raise three children made me think not 'I'm scared' but 'I think I can do it too.' Because we are siblings, I felt I could do it," and Shim Hyung-tak said, "Watching her sister's parenting, Saya didn't think it would be hard but rather 'Ah, she can do it,'" revealing their perfect match.
Haru, who grows every day, has entered the babbling phase and can stand on his own two feet. His soon-to-come toddling walks are eagerly anticipated. Also, the father teaches Korean while the mother teaches Japanese, and they happily imagine that once he begins to speak, he may become bilingual.
The more he raises Haru, the more grateful Shim Hyung-tak is to his wife. He said, "I'm grateful she gave birth to our child, and I'm grateful she does childcare in her own style and works so hard. She makes all the baby food by hand and feeds him herself; I truly think she's a super mom," and laughed, "People tell me, 'Be grateful, Mr. Shim,' 'Be good to Saya, Mr. Shim.' But I'm not incapable either. (laughs) If I hadn't tried, Haru wouldn't be loved by the whole nation. That's just how it is."
He said he hopes his son will work in the entertainment industry or become an actor. "In Japan people usually inherit the family business. In that way, personally I want Haru to become a child who works as an actor or in the entertainment industry. When I say that Saya says, 'That's something the child decides.' I agree with that, but secretly I have hopes in my heart," he said.
Shim Hyung-tak said, "If he becomes an actor, as a father I want to teach him acting. I couldn't do what I wanted when I was young. From second grade in elementary school I wanted to be an actor on screen, but the path to arts high school was blocked, so later I worked as a model alone. I liked Doraemon but I knew I'd be ridiculed if I talked about it, so I didn't say anything in middle and high school. Back then my friends all liked Slam Dunk and Dragon Ball, so if I said I liked Doraemon I would be insulted. I grew up not being able to do what I wanted," and added, "So I want to be a dad who lets Haru do whatever he wants. I want to play with him with toys and spend a lot of time with him."
He said he is happier now that Haru is loved than when he was known as an actor, adding, "After appearing on Infinite Challenge, when I woke up the next day the whole nation knew me. But I was actually afraid. I had never received that kind of love before, and when I walked down the street people shouted, 'Shim Hyung-tak! Shim Hyung-tak!' I didn't go out. I couldn't enjoy that popularity. I was reluctant to be seen by people," and continued, "On the other hand, the current popularity of Haru is different from that situation. It's clearly different from the urge to hide. We want to show viewers a happier image of our family because people say they feel warmth when they see our family. They say that happiness makes them feel good and some even say watching Haru helped cure their depression."
Finally, Shim Hyung-tak added, "If our family can share even a little happiness with people, I'd be grateful. Just as Doraemon helped me get through hard times when Doraemon was by my side, maybe our family can be like Doraemon to people going through difficult times now. I hope we can become a character-like presence. Not only Haru but our family as a whole becoming something that can deliver more happiness would be wonderful."
[Photo] Provided by The Return of SUPERMAN, SNS
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