"Welcome, is it your first time in Korea?" producer emphasized the cast members' increased interest in and affection for Korea in the reboot.
On the 19th, MBC Every1 variety show "Welcome, is it your first time in Korea?" (abbreviated as Welcome) premiered its new first broadcast. Although the "Welcome" series has aired for 10 years since 2017, it returned as a reboot after a six-month break in October last year. As its first guest, Paco, a Paris merchant famous as France's "Korea advocate," visited Korea with his friends. In response, OSEN spoke with PD Jeon Min-kyung, who directed the newly returned "Welcome, is it your first time in Korea?" featuring veteran Kim Joon-hyun and original member DinDin as the two MCs.
PD Jeon Min-kyung, who is currently filming other "Welcome" members in the United States, said, "There was a time difference, but fortunately after arriving in the U.S. I could watch the Korean broadcast here in the early morning, so I checked it," expressing excitement about the first broadcast. She said, "There were actually many better interviews with Paco and his friends, and although I wanted to include them all, we couldn't because of the runtime," and expressed anticipation for the stories that will follow.
Paco, the first participant of the rebooted "Welcome," is a figure who has attracted attention for his unusual affinity with Korean tourists near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, his interest in Korea, and his high-level Korean skills. Known as the "Eiffel Tower merchant" and "France's Korea advocate," there are even many Korean fans who sought him out to give him gifts such as pouches and T-shirts bearing the name "Paco."
Among them, Paco visited Korea through "Welcome" this time with other friends from Paris who love Korea, Max and Jamil. Max is Brain, a marketing professor active locally who is interested in Korean culture, and Jamil is a college student who became interested in Korea after working for two years at a Korean restaurant in Paris. With varying ages and occupations, they all gladly appeared on "Welcome" solely out of their interest in and affection for Korea.
This scene is different from the previous "Welcome." The previous "Welcome" mainly focused on the novelty and fun of traveling in Korea centered on hometown friends of so-called "Korean foreigners" residing in Korea. Now, people who know Korea well and are interested in it provide laughter and emotion by confirming that affection.
Regarding this, PD Jeon Min-kyung said, "Paco had so many friends he wanted to bring to Korea. He said he would feel bad if he didn't bring someone. Fortunately, our local guide knew Paco well, so we asked that person about which friends would feel most comfortable coming to Korea with Paco and then arranged them."
She added, "Not only Paco but the fact that all his friends know Korea well was a surprising experience for our production team. At the same time, it made us reflect that our thinking was narrow. We conducted pre-interviews at a café in Paris, and the café owner said they enjoyed watching Physical:100 and were watching When Life Gives You Tangerines. That showed how much Korean culture has permeated worldwide," she said, expressing amazement.
She continued, "When Fabian was recording, he said, 'The French first lady holds a fundraising event every year where they gather people related to K-pop and, during a speech, say,
(Continued in interview ②)<
[Photo] Provided by MBC Every1.
[OSEN]