KBS announcers engaged in a power struggle to be selected as poster models.
On the afternoon of the 29th, KBS announcers who went to Jeju Island appeared on the KBS2 entertainment program ‘The Boss's Ears are Donkey Ears’ (hereinafter ‘Sadangui’).
In this episode, the first boss to appear was the new KBS announcers who participated in a meeting of the Korean Language Research Department. When ‘Jeju’ was selected as the theme for the Korean language poster in July, Hong Joo-yeon emphasized, “I’m from Jeju, and my family has a tangerine farm. So I don’t buy tangerines; I eat them for free! Tangerine spoon!”
In response, announcer Jeong Eun-hye appealed, “They say my personal color is Jeju.”
A few days later, Eom Ji-in, Kim Jin-woong, Hong Joo-yeon, and Jeong Eun-hye visited Jeju Island. Upon arriving at Daejeong 5-day Market and Moseulpo Central Market, they decided to check how Jeju residents use the Jeju dialect.
Meeting a haenyeo (female diver), the four said, “We have a reason for coming to Jeju. This time, the KBS announcer's office is making a Korean language poster to introduce the Jeju dialect. So we need to select models from among us.”
Ultimately, they chose Kim Jin-woong. The four then played a game where they listened to Jeju dialect words and guessed their meanings. Hong Joo-yeon posed the questions, and the other announcers answered them.
When they described someone as “a bit short, with a belly, and resembling a puppy,” Jeong Eun-hye shouted, “Jeon Hyun-moo!” and got the answer right. Watching this, Kim Sook said, “Joo-yeon has posed a question about Hyun-moo again. She’s really taking care of him,” to which Jeon Hyun-moo laughed, saying, “It seems there are no articles these days.”
Later, the four met with KBS Jeju Broadcasting Station Director Lee Jae-hong to take the poster photos. Eom Ji-in and Hong Joo-yeon transformed into Ae-sun and Gwan-sik, while Kim Jin-woong became Uncle Hak-ssi. Jeong Eun-hye took photos of the three. Watching the junior announcers, Lee Jae-hong said, “We’re in Jeju! Let me give it a try,” and attempted to take a poster photo in Kim Jin-woong's place.
However, the main character of the Jeju Korean language poster went to announcer Jeong Eun-hye.
The second boss to appear was Song Jeong-hoon, who established the cupbap myth in Utah, USA. With an annual revenue of about 60 billion won, he introduced himself, saying, “I’m a bulldozer boss because I do what I have to do unconditionally.” However, the employees joked, “He likes to create unnecessary tasks,” which drew laughter.
Before starting work, Song Jeong-hoon raised the atmosphere with his employees by shouting, “Who we are? Cupbap!” However, an American employee expressed in an interview, “He really can’t speak English. His spelling is off. The correct expression is ‘Who are we?’”
Celebrating the 12th anniversary of the cupbap restaurant opened in 2014, Song Jeong-hoon held a Cupbap Day, reducing the price of cupbap by half. Later, he urged his employees, “Don’t go to the bathroom, don’t eat, just work hard!” showing a tyrannical employer side, which drew criticism from the panel.
In response, Song Jeong-hoon clarified, “I’m not really saying don’t go... I go too,” explaining that he meant to work hard.
When the first customer arrived, Song Jeong-hoon said, “Let’s do three toppings. No, just give them all five! They’re the first customer!” and promoted his business. He also asked the first customer to “tell everyone they meet outside that the cupbap restaurant is half price.”
He then personally recruited customers and guided them into the store, and his sales tactics soon filled the restaurant with customers. Additionally, Song Jeong-hoon engaged in small talk with each customer and even offered dumplings as a bonus. Customers praised, “Cupbap is better than hamburgers,” “Other restaurants don’t do this, but here they welcome you,” and “It was the energy I needed at 10:30 AM on Wednesday.”
Watching this, Noh Hee-young commented, “In Korea, this would be burdensome. If someone did that in Korea, they would be seen as showing off,” indicating that it doesn’t fit the sentiment in Korea. In response, Song Jeong-hoon said, “I think they see me as cute,” explaining that it’s possible because he’s in Utah.
After finishing lunch service, Boss Song Jeong-hoon received a call about an issue at the Saratoga store and quickly moved. It turned out that customers were unable to enter the neighboring store due to a line. Boss Jeong contacted the owner and promised to compensate for the losses, resolving the issue smoothly.
Later, Boss Jeong successfully wrapped up the Cupbap Day event with his employees.
‘Sadangui’ can be seen every Sunday at 4:45 PM on KBS2.
[Seo Ye-ji, Star Today Guest Reporter]
