'The way of a real man' offers freshness with visuals not seen in existing travel variety shows.
On the morning of the 21st, SBS Plus' 'The way of a real man' held an online showcase on YouTube. At the online showcase, Choo Sung Hoon, Kim Jong Kook, Daesung and PD Kim Jinho appeared and took questions and answers.
'The way of a real man' is a bromance travelogue featuring Korea's representative real men Choo Sung Hoon X Kim Jong Kook, and the middle man(?) youngest member Daesung. It is expected to capture the real travelogue of extreme P male animals who enjoy following their instincts.
When asked about the differentiating point from other travel variety shows, Choo Sung Hoon said, I do make small plans when I go on a trip. But for this trip I didn't really plan that much. It suited me very well to think in the moment and move right away. I think that is the distinguishing point of 'The way of a real man'.
Kim Jong Kook said, We went to many places that are not well known. I think we sought out many places where locals can have a lot of experiences. When people think of travel destinations, many think of famous spots, but we went beyond that to places where you can feel more of the local atmosphere. For people who want a change from tired travel spots, we will introduce good places that could be new challenges.
Daesung added, Japan is a country familiar to us for travel and I have traveled there a lot, but I think I had never encountered so few Koreans in my life. It was that unfamiliar to me and to everyone, and I think that mixed feeling will all show. Most of the foods and restaurants we visited had never appeared on broadcasts. Those parts felt like we found a gold mine,
PD Kim Jinho said, First, I think the combination of the three appearing is itself the program's distinguishing point. Because the three's combined subscribers approach 7 million. I think bringing Korea's hottest three is the best differentiation. And the 2026 trend is T&A: tour and activity, respect for tastes. Instead of visiting tourist spots together, someone goes to a museum, someone tries an exercise experience; that's the trend. We went to places that matched each of their tastes and many locations are being revealed for the first time. Nationwide number one saunas, ryokan and many first-time-on-broadcast reveals — I think those are the differentiated points of the show's course.
When asked why he cast Daesung as the person to attend to the main Choo Sung Hoon and Kim Jong Kook, PD Kim Jinho praised, Because he's Big Bang's Daesung. I asked him because he's the best idol and a top variety entertainer. He added, I also want to say thank you to the two older brothers. They kept a promise from 18 years ago. When I was assistant director on 'Family Outing' I asked them to appear if I ever had my own program. They readily agreed then and kept that promise. Sung Hoon hyung also went to the jungle with me four times. I requested during the busiest time, and he said, I have to go to Jinho's, so I'm really thankful.
Choo Sung Hoon is already loved for his friendly image on YouTube and elsewhere. When asked what new side he would show through 'The way of a real man', he said, On my YouTube I went to many good restaurants, and I had thought I would go to the regions we visited on 'The way of a real man'. The items were taken from me. We went to many local restaurants and places people really don't go to and there were many things to see. I went alone to eat sometimes, and at 'Cha's place' I went with Cha Seung-won hyung, but showing me going only with my younger brothers is a picture shown for the first time. There's not a big age gap with Jongkook, but he's one year younger so if you watch their chemistry well, I think many funny scenes will come out,
Kim Jong Kook explained about the nickname 'Kim Jong Kook who chides Choo Sung Hoon', I guess that came from seeing me grumble at hyung a lot. When we do content we try to make it fun and pick on each other, and because hyung takes it well, a fun chemistry comes out. I think that chemistry came out well in 'The way of a real man' too. Hyung does as much to me as I tease him, so when you watch 'The way of a real man' you'll see two middle-aged men bickering, and I think that picture is different from what regular celebrities do and makes it more enjoyable to watch.
Especially Kim Jong Kook, who married a younger non-celebrity woman in September last year, when asked about participating in an overseas travel program during his newlywed life, appealed, I think the answer is what you know anyway. Every married man is the same, but I went to distant places really for my family even though it was hard. We also want to work comfortably in Korea and go straight home. But what can we do. We worked hard and went. There wasn't any special support from my wife; isn't telling me to be careful when you go a form of support? To come back healthy. That's the most important when going on a trip. We don't like overseas shows either, but we went hard with Sung Hoon hyung to give many people pleasure.
When asked about working with Kim Jong Kook on his first regular variety show together, Choo Sung Hoon praised, It's my first time traveling with Jongkook. We did some broadcasting and YouTube together, but I thought the chemistry would match without question. Both Jongkook and I take things well. He's sensitive and quick-witted. I could see he has experience from long ago, and I learned a lot; I felt I still have a long way to go. If there is an opportunity, I want to go somewhere together again, and I felt many fun contents could come out even in a different format. If it were other friends, I wouldn't feel this fun. He knows my personality, actions and way of speaking well, so I think he'll be a good MC in the future.
Kim Jong Kook said, There's an emotion when it's just Sung Hoon hyung and me. Unlike with other entertainers and members, there's a strange thing about just the two coming. I think many people find that fun. PD Kim Jinho emphasized their chemistry, saying, When I first planned this I wanted to bring the two because whenever the two appeared together it never failed. From 'Family Outing' to the gym, trips to America, those videos had nearly 30 to 40 million views, so you can look forward to it.
He also conveyed Daesung's professional caretaker efforts, who touted himself as the only MBTI 'J'. Daesung said, From the time I joined I participated as a caretaker. It was very fun and the styles of the two real men are completely different. Even though they are both real men, their styles differ, and watching that made me realize there are many kinds of real men in the world; it was a program where I learned about life. When asked if he was in the position like Lee Seo-jin from 'Grandpas over flowers', Kim Jong Kook snapped back laughing, That's not that much.
Daesung said, During pre-interviews I thought a lot about how to mediate between hyungs because their tendencies are different, but when I went there, the three's eating habits and tastes matched well so there wasn't much need to mediate. When they bickered occasionally there were times when the younger brother role was needed. I intervened in those moments. It wasn't as far as 'Grandpas over flowers', he dismissed. Kim Jong Kook praised, Basically Daesung took good care of older brothers and sisters back when he was on 'Family Outing'. He would also take good care of younger siblings; he's considerate and very capable. He's an indispensable important member of our team.
Daesung said he tried to understand the hyungs' needs. He worked to anticipate even small off-camera comments and what was needed when cameras were off so that filming could be comfortable. Usually when the cameras are on the staff manage things well so it's not very uncomfortable, but when off-camera the hyungs often got tired. When I cheered them on at those times, interesting talk sometimes came out. I think I balanced it consciously, he said, relating his hard work.
When asked whether they encountered difficulties during the impromptu trip, Kim Jong Kook said, It wasn't hard. The hard part was continuous shooting — filming from one to ten nonstop. That was somewhat expected. Choo Sung Hoon also dismissed it, saying, No matter how I think about it, it was all fun. The food was good and we saw many strange things, so I didn't have that kind of stress.
Daesung candidly reflected, Personally I went believing I had made some light promises with the production team before recording. There was a promise about separate rooms, and that wasn't a problem at all. It was nice to go together and there was no time to be uncomfortable. The filming was so hard that everyone passed out, so it was fun. Kim Jong Kook teased, Actually Sung Hoon hyung snoring is accurately described as roaring. He makes a sound even the vocal cords can't produce. That will probably be emphasized a lot on the broadcast. It was amazing, really. He kept sounding angry in his sleep, he hinted, adding curiosity.
PD Kim Jinho, asked about differences from his work on 'Law of the Jungle', said, My most frequent experiences on 'Law of the Jungle' were dealing with wild animals. Experiences handling safety, danger and animals that can jump out anywhere helped a lot. Kim Jong Kook retorted, Are we the wild animals? and PD Kim Jinho said, Yes, I felt a lot of the fear of not knowing where they would jump. Choo Sung Hoon hyung kept saying he would low-kick the PD, making me sweat. He added that thanks to his experience dealing with the three's unpredictable P tendencies, the show will air enjoyably and without problems.
Regarding the reason they chose Kyushu as a travel destination, he added, Rather than Kyushu, I think of Kumamoto and Kagoshima as, in a way, small cities. Travel shows usually focus on big cities, and I personally like those small cities, so I selected them to introduce those charms. I want to continue to introduce places with hidden attractions rather than famous tourist spots.
[Photo] SBS Plus
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