"X's private life" producer explained the reason for recruiting YouTubers Choegogi and Yu Kkaet-ip, who have been receiving heated reactions since the preview.
TV CHOSUN variety program "X's private life" director Kim Seok-hyun said in a phone call with OSEN on the morning of Apr. 8, "Choegogi and Yu Kkaet-ip are personally very sincere and decent people when you meet them. By showing how they communicate and parts of their lives even after they were family and then separated, I wanted to give viewers an opportunity to see that 'divorce' has become the everyday life of many people now, to show 'these days divorce can look like this, there are those kinds of life choices'".
At the end of the "X's private life" episode broadcast on Apr. 7, the preview showed Choegogi and Yu Kkaet-ip. Choegogi and Yu Kkaet-ip married in 2016 and had a daughter, Sol-ip, but divorced in 2020 over personality differences. In particular, they previously appeared together on another TV CHOSUN variety show, "We Got Divorced," and were praised for showing the backstory of their divorce and for continuing to communicate as friends as well as parents for the sake of their daughter after the divorce. That Choegogi and Yu Kkaet-ip are appearing again on "X's private life," which deals with post-divorce stories, has drawn the attention of viewers and internet users.
Regarding this, Kim Seok-hyun said, "Given the purpose of our program, even if they are divorced, we try not to show both sides as being too extreme. For example, divorces caused by infidelity are not in line with the program's purpose. Therefore, we tend to look for people who can maintain some degree of a relationship after divorce and can show their stories to viewers, and in that respect Choegogi and Yu Kkaet-ip were suitable," he said, explaining the reason for recruitment.
Kim Seok-hyun, who said, "I was also impressed by watching 'We Got Divorced'," emphasized, "I was curious about how these people were living after that, so I tried to contact them. Of course, both were hesitant to appear on the show again. But our writers cautiously persuaded them. Above all, as you will see when you watch the show, they are people who naturally make you think, 'These days divorce can look like this,' 'There are those kinds of life choices.'"
He said, "Now 'divorce' is not someone else's business in our society. Even though it has become commonplace, it is consumed in an overly sensational way. Generally, people try to find the cause of that divorce in the other person and depict it that way, but I wanted to make a program that allows people to find the reason for the divorce in themselves rather than in the other person. Choegogi and Yu Kkaet-ip are very sincere and caring about people when you meet them individually, and are basically decent people. When you look at the reasons and processes that led these people to choose divorce, it was largely an acknowledgment of parts that 'didn't fit,' not because either was bad," he said.
He added, "If in the past traditional society and families forcing mismatched parts to fit was considered the right thing, in modern society people now question, 'Is that the right thing?' And seeing people find and accept each other's happiness after separation can rather look beautiful. Some may not agree from a traditional perspective, but we wanted to show 'X's private life' thinking that it could be one answer depending on a way of life rather than a specific right answer, and among episodes nothing would be a more suitable example than the story of Choegogi and Yu Kkaet-ip," he said confidently.
"X's private life" is a real observation program that watches the current life of X after divorce and even meetings with new partners from the perspective of the former spouse. It airs every Tuesday at 10 p.m. and boasts intense topicality.<
[Photo] Provided by TV CHOSUN, source: SNS.
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