Kang Ji-young from the group Kara appears and shares her recent updates after 12 years.
The MBC entertainment program ‘Radio Star’, airing on the 15th at 10:30 PM, features a special segment called ‘Box Office Lupin’ with Kang Ha-neul, Kim Young-kwang, Kang Young-seok, and Kang Ji-young.
Kang Ji-young reveals, “When I appeared on ‘Radio Star’ during my Kara days, I cried because I couldn’t show my aegyo,” candidly sharing the behind-the-scenes story of why she had to cry. She continues, “Aegyo is not just about looking cute; it’s a technique to express emotions beautifully,” and demonstrates aegyo on the spot, making the four MCs burst into laughter.
She also shares behind-the-scenes stories from Kara's 15th-anniversary comeback. She says, “It was my first meeting with Heo Young-ji when I stood on stage with the members after a long time. Since we are both the maknae line, we used formal language with each other,” which brings laughter.
Next, she reveals the behind-the-scenes of her ‘Japanese language teacher chemistry’ with Kang Ha-neul. She explains, “Kang Ha-neul contacted me saying he wanted to learn Japanese, and we did private lessons through texting,” and shares the story of why she had to stop being his Japanese teacher, making everyone laugh.
Kang Ji-young reminisces about her 12 years of acting in Japan. She states, “My debut work was ‘Hell Teacher Nube’. The first broadcast rating was 13%, and the average was in the 10% range,” adding, “Later, the movie ‘Assassination Classroom’ topped the box office upon release, and I won the Audience Award at the Okinawa Film Festival for the movie ‘Leon’.”
She also shares a story about working under her real name in Japan. She mentions that when her real name is pronounced in Japanese kanji, it sounds like ‘Chie’, and many inquiries came to her agency thinking she was a new actress, surprising everyone.
When asked about her language skills, she responds, “I realized when I went to Japan that I have a talent for languages,” explaining, “The intonation of Japanese is like music, so it was fun. Every day was practice.” She then reveals a Japanese drama script she brought herself, saying, “I memorize it by marking all the pitch variations. Just like a Korean dialect, I have to express the intonation accurately,” and when she demonstrates a line, MC Kim Gu-ra laughs, saying, “I feel sorry for making you do aegyo back then.”
Kang Ji-young also mentions the differences between Japanese and Korean entertainment, making a cute verbal mistake, which adds to the humor as she tries to correct herself.
She shares that she recently launched a sake brand in Japan and, towards the end of the recording, reminisces about her Kara days, spontaneously showcasing the ‘Kara Dance’, filling the studio with applause and cheers.
Kang Ji-young, returning after 12 years, showcases her multifaceted charm with honesty and humor, which can be seen on ‘Radio Star’ airing on the 15th at 10:30 PM.
[Kim So-yeon, Star Today Reporter]
