KBS newscaster Lee Ye-won showed tears during a review meeting.
On the afternoon of the 1st, KBS2's entertainment program 'The Boss's Ears Are Donkey Ears' (hereinafter 'Sadangui') featured anchor Eom Ji-in and newscasters participating in a review meeting.
On that day’s broadcast, North Korean defector businessman Lee Soon-sil was forcibly taken to the hospital. Director Jang Byeong-taek explained, "Even a cough seems to hurt, and it seems like there are aftereffects from the accident. She endures that pain and just works."
Lee Soon-sil said, "The reason I can't stay in the hospital is that I have meetings, lectures, and constant phone calls," explaining why she visited the hospital after two months. She looked exhausted even lying down alone and received information about her current condition after a thorough examination.
The doctor said, "You were hospitalized but discharged after four days. Doesn't your chest hurt? It's a narcotic painkiller, which is medical-grade. They usually don't prescribe it unless necessary. There can be side effects in the early stages. But since you can't come to the hospital often and aren't receiving physical therapy, using that medication for too long isn't good. The CT scan shows that your sternum was impacted to the point of being crushed. The sternum is a very strong bone that protects the lungs and heart, so the impact must have been significant, and you probably experienced severe pain for 2 to 3 weeks. Also, your ribs are injured. I think the symptoms will last for about 3 to 4 weeks, which is concerning," explaining Lee Soon-sil's current condition.
After being discharged, Lee Soon-sil, who came for physical therapy after a long time, immediately refused, saying, "Oh, I don't want to do it. I'm good, I'm good." It turned out to be a trauma from the electric torture she experienced during her repatriation.
Later, Lee Soon-sil purchased a car worth 100 million won in a lump sum and exclaimed, "Oh, it's so cool!" upon seeing her new car. While driving on the road, she affectionately named the car, saying, "I wanted to call it 'Manlima' meaning to go a thousand or ten thousand miles!"
As she drove under a highway bridge, Lee Soon-sil recalled, "This looks just like the North Korean customs bridge. This is the bridge where I lived for 10 years! We always crossed over to China through those bushes. It's the same~!" She then prepared a North Korean-style home-cooked meal, urging her staff, "You must finish it! Think about why I brought food under the bridge while you eat."
The second boss to appear was Chef Jeong Ji-seon. He arrived wearing sunglasses and a mask from 5 AM and visited the shop to get makeup and hairstyling, drawing the discontent of the panelists.
From 8 AM, customers lined up in front of the restaurant, while busy staff preparing for the opening expressed their complaints. Chef Kim Hee-won said, "We handle about 300 to 400 customers a day. So it's quite overwhelming," and Chef Lee Ga-young added, "There are so many customers that it surrounds the store... They even use makeshift chairs, and it seems like we will set up a tent soon. Definitely, after 'Black and White Chef' aired, Chef's image has improved a lot," expressing their struggles with Jeong Ji-seon's popularity.
As the restaurant filled to capacity right after opening, Jeong Ji-seon introduced himself, saying, "Hello, I am the Dim Sum Queen!" The staff, overwhelmed by the flood of orders, finally finished lunch service after much ado and took a break together. Chef Kim Hee-won said, "I can't sleep, and there's no end in sight," while Chef Hwang Ho-hyun remarked, "Hee-won takes a break once every three weeks, and Ga-young almost collapsed from low blood pressure, so the current situation is a bit...," and Chef Lee Ga-young added, "I spent only 30 minutes in the kitchen today."
Hearing this, Jeong Ji-seon responded, "You have to take care of your health. There are plenty of hospitals nearby... So what do you want?" appearing incredulous. Kim Hee-won said, "I hope we have regular days off. Chef Jeong Ho-young takes two days off a week, but we work 365 days without a day off," and Lee Ga-young suggested, "Even if we take a full day off, I don't think the fatigue will completely go away. How about introducing a week-long vacation?" Chef Hwang Ho-hyun added, "Since we don't have a reservation system, we receive hundreds of phone calls, so we don't have any time to rest," expressing their dissatisfaction.
In response, Jeong Ji-seon said, "We've hired staff for dim sum, cutting, and dishwashing, and even with just a few people, it costs 900,000 won a day," adding, "It costs almost 1.5 million won a week. Last month, we spent 6 million won just on staff meals. We know the staff is uncomfortable, so we are continuously trying to improve things," indicating that he cares about employee welfare.
Ultimately, Jeong Ji-seon called 'Cooking Maniac' Yoon Nam-no for advice, but Yoon Nam-no put Jeong Ji-seon in a difficult position by suggesting "regular days off twice a week and an online reservation system," siding with the staff.
The third boss was anchor Eom Ji-in, along with KBS's 50th newscasters Park Cheol-kyu, Jeong Eun-hye, Heo Yoo-won, and Lee Ye-won. When anchor Lee Ye-won delivered the news, a senior anchor commented, "You can take your time. Repeating something again means it's important. You need to control your strength and speak clearly." Following this, anchor Kim Hee-soo added, "Repeating for emphasis is fine, but I think the second attempt was worse. There were many misreads and tremors, and if that's the case, there's no point in doing it again."
In the end, anchor Lee Ye-won showed tears, and manager Lee Jae-hong criticized, "What does crying solve? Are you going to cry if it doesn't go well on air? Especially while doing the news? Crying won't end it. Crying won't solve anything," adding tension once again.
The last participant, anchor Heo Yoo-won, suddenly received a stock market news article while delivering the news and struggled with the number-filled economic article. Ga Ae-ran pointed out, "Your upper lip hardly moves. Your lower lip moves busily," while Eom Ji-in also noted, "Your mouth shape is wrong. That's the 'yo' pronunciation," identifying the issues.
Eom Ji-in remarked, "While watching Heo Yoo-won's news, I thought, 'Why is she trying to look so pretty?' I think it's because of the shape of her mouth. You wore circle lenses, right? So it looks even more pronounced," and added, "This is interesting now," offering some harsh feedback.
Afterward, the anchors decided to select a field MC for the National Sports Festival among the new employees, and Eom Ji-in encouraged, "Jin-woong and Joo-yeon have done it a lot, so you two should try it too."
Regarding Kim Jin-woong's comments, Eom Ji-in said, "Your voice is too loud. And your gaze is too intense," while Lee Jae-hong commented, "It seems like it will go well, but there's an inexplicable sense of precariousness." After Hong Joo-yeon's turn ended, Lee Jae-hong said, "It's okay, right?" and Ga Ae-ran praised, "You were so cool," earning admiration from the panelists.
After the first newscaster Park Cheol-kyu finished his turn, Lee Jae-hong noted, "I saw the precariousness I saw in Jin-woong. Is it funny?" Eom Ji-in added, "Raising your voice is an annoying habit, you know?" and anchor Kim Hee-soo expressed discomfort with the attitude, asking, "Why do you keep laughing?"
In the second round, anchor Heo Yoo-won took the lead, and Kim Jin-woong pointed out, "You seem embarrassed, so you keep raising your eyes," identifying the issue. In the third round, anchor Lee Ye-won delivered her comments, saying, "Does it feel like a new employee just starting?" and added, "You need to exude confidence, but I didn't feel that at all," offering criticism.
The last participant, anchor Jeong Eun-hye, began her turn but stuttered due to noise in the middle. In response, Lee Jae-hong expressed discomfort, saying, "What do you mean by saying 'I'm sorry' and starting over? You can't stop or pause. Don't keep trying to smooth it over; change that mindset."
Ultimately, the selection of the MC for the National Sports Festival was postponed, and the 50th review meeting concluded.
‘Sadangui’ airs every Sunday at 4:45 PM on KBS2.
[Seo Ye-ji, Star Today Guest Reporter]
