The 13th 'Busan International Comedy Festival' returns more diversely, opening a platform to expand the scope of K-comedy through performances that reach out to audiences.
An offline press conference for the 13th 'Busan International Comedy Festival' (BICF, hereafter 'Bukope') was held on the afternoon of the 1st at the Stanford Hotel in Sangam, Mapo-gu, Seoul.
Attending the event were members of the BICF Organizing Committee (Chairman Kim Jun-ho, Vice Chairman Choi Dae-woong, Vice Chairman Jo Kwang-sik, Director Seong Ha-mook, Programmer Jo Yoon-ho), 'Gag Concert with Bukope' (Shin Yoon-seung, Jo Soo-hyun, Park Eun-young, Yoo Yeon-jo, Seo Seong-kyung), 'Gag Assembly @ Bukope' (Koo Jeong-mo, Yoo Young-woo, Odi Di, Siot Siot, Woo Da-on, Jeon Ye-won, Yang Hye-won), 'Byeong Ki-soo's Beach Show' (Byeong Ki-soo, Tak (Bae Chi-gi) Song Young-gil, Kim Tae-won), 'Seoul Comedy All-Stars' (Kim Dong-ha, Park Cheol-hyun), 'Story Episode' (Lee Kwang-seob, Lee Won-goo), 'Ahn Young-mi Show - All Ages (Sseum) Show' (Ahn Young-mi), 'Comedy Association' (Lim Jong-hyuk, Jang Yoon-seok), and the closing performance 'I Am a Dog Singer' (Kim Na-hee, Lee Sang-ho, Lee Sang-min), along with the MC for the book concert & closing performance (Lee Hong-ryeol).
Chairman Kim Jun-ho emphasized, “We held the opening ceremony at the Busan Cinema Center for the first 12 editions, but due to climate change making Busan hotter, we received feedback that the audience was too hot and tired, so we decided to move to BEXCO. And it’s cooler here.”
This year, 'Bukope' is attracting great attention with the participation of star comedians who have led the comedy scene in South Korea, fresh creators, and cheerful comedy artists from around the world. The romantic comedy 'I Transferred to Love' featuring Eom Ji-yoon, Short Box (Kim Won-hoon, Jo Jin-se), and The Face (Lee Seon-min, Jo Hoon), the comedy duo show 'Gag Assembly @ Bukope' with Bbang Song-guk, Snack Town, Bota, Youth Desk, Ttuksa Dae, Bbangwon, and the stand-up comedy show 'Seoul Comedy All-Stars' featuring Kim Dong-ha, Son Dong-hoon, Song Ha-bin, and Danny Cho, as well as Ahn Young-mi's lively 19+ talk show 'All Ages (Sseum) Show', will color Busan with a variety of comedy performances.
The 'Gag Concert with Bukope' offers fresh stages and vivid on-site experiences not seen on broadcasts, while 'Comedy Association', led by comedians Shin Yoon-seung and Park Min-seong, along with YouTube stars, joins in. The adult-oriented 19+ comedy show 'Byeong Ki-soo's Beach Show', the communication-centered talk show 'Communication King Malja Halmae Show' with Kim Young-hee and Jeong Beom-kyun, and 'Story Episode' directly interacting with the audience at BEXCO Plaza will continue the comedy feast across genres.
Chairman Kim Jun-ho shared the reason for collaborating with the 'Gag Concert' team, saying, “During meetings, I thought that the only remaining program in Korea was 'Gag Concert'. There’s 'SNL', but it’s not just with actors. I thought it would be symbolic for 'Gag Concert' to take part.” Vice Chairman Choi Dae-woong added, “Considering the ticket power that we haven’t seen before, I thought 'Gag Concert' would be suitable since many people watch it.”
In particular, this 13th Bukope is stimulating the interest of prospective audiences with the spicy 19+ comedy show 'Byeong Ki-soo's Beach Show' followed by Ahn Young-mi's lively 19+ talk show 'All Ages (Sseum) Show'.
Ahn Young-mi stated, “First of all, I am doing the 'Ahn Young-mi Show - All Ages (Sseum) Show' this time. I really wanted to do this. I wanted to try a 19+ show,” and added, “This has been a dream of mine since before I got married. I was worried and scared, so I couldn’t take the challenge.”
She continued, “Now that I have given birth, I wonder why I was scared. There are many people who enjoy 19+ comedy more than I thought, so I thought, why not try it once? After having a child, I gained a bit more courage to do it,” sharing her reasons for challenging the 19+ show, and added, “I plan to talk about various 19+ stories with my husband. I can’t reveal where my husband is, but I can talk about our sexual relationship,” which made the audience burst into laughter.
Byeong Ki-soo remarked, “Stand-up comedy is emerging as a new genre, and it’s very creative and fun. I hope you all see the potential of stand-up comedy as well,” supporting the promotion of his juniors' performances.
The closing performance 'I Am a Dog Singer' will conclude the festival with explosive stages from comedians crossing the boundaries of comedy and music, including Lee Hong-ryeol, Park Seong-ho, Kim Na-hee, the Ugly Three Brothers, Son Heon-soo, Wink, Kim Jae-ron, and Trot Dung-i.
Lee Hong-ryeol, who will be the MC for the book concert & closing performance at the 13th Bukope, expressed, “I have occasionally participated in comedy festivals, but I cannot express how happy I am to be hosting the closing ceremony. I feel so proud to introduce my juniors on stage and see them perform. It’s so fulfilling to see comedy being continued.”
Mentioning the names of several senior comedians, he said, “But now I have become the oldest. The reason I counted the names of my seniors is that I wanted to proudly show that there are such wonderful juniors,” swallowing his tears.
He continued, “However, it’s a bit bittersweet that they are not here now, and I wanted to show a wonderful performance. There were seniors who have continued comedy since the days of traveling troupes, and even though the broadcasting environment has changed and many comedy venues have disappeared, juniors are beautifully continuing comedy. I cannot express how proud I am of many juniors, including Kim Jun-ho. I sincerely want to thank my juniors. Thank you.”
In addition, the English stand-up comedy show 'MICF Roadshow in Busan', the overseas performance teams Popcorn Parachute and Dancing Snail, the imaginative puppet show 'Bunktopia', and the music comedy 'Wok 'n' Woll' that crosses classical and rock, as well as 'The Ultimate Japanese Comedy Show' featuring top Japanese comedians, will deliver laughter that transcends borders.
Chairman Kim Jun-ho stated, “Our dream is to regularly be included in the budget planning of the Ministry of Strategy and Finance like a film festival,” and added, “The awards ceremony is for the comedians' YouTube awards, but for this to be activated, there are budget issues. If there is support from numerous companies, the city of Busan, the Ministry of Culture, and the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, it would help in nurturing juniors.”
The 13th 'Busan International Comedy Festival' will be held from September 29 to October 7.
[Sangam (Seoul) = Son Jin-a, MK Sports Reporter]
