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I am MC You Hee-yeol.
I am MC Haha.
I'm Sim Sang-Jung, the lovely woman of Yeouido.
Did I hear that right?
I'm Jo Woo-jong, the nation's pathetic guy.
Isn't that Seok-Jin, the Big Nose?
- He resembles Seok-Jin. - Yes.
Hey!
I'm Jung Joong-won, the painter who loves snakes.
- What's wrong with him? - Why does he love snakes?
- Goodness. - Don't move.
All right. Goodness.
Gosh. What's wrong with you?
- It's okay. It doesn't bite. - I can't do this.
- It's going to bite his hand. - I know.
The courageous have come out to talk.
- Wednesday night. - Busking with words.
- As I Say! - As I Say!
Today, we have the most unique...
(Laughing)
- and strangest guest. - Yes.
- It feels very strange. - Yes, it does feel strange.
They're from "National Assembly TV",
- "Running Man", and "Animal Farm". - "Running Man"?
- It feels like all kinds of different variety shows are put together. - Yes.
First of all, Sim Sang-Jung introduced herself...
- as a lovely woman. - Right.
You're really impudent.
- Is that the term we know? - Yes.
It suits me perfectly, doesn't it?
- You look a lot better in person. - Well,
I get that a lot.
(Laughing)
I don't know what to say.
There must be something wrong with this seat. The public defender...
- told us he's really famous, too. - Public defender?
It's strange.
- By the way, can you put that snake away? - I know.
- Why did you bring a snake? - Isn't it venomous?
- Doesn't it bite? - Sometimes it does.
- It does? - Sometimes.
- Why did you bring it then? - This snake is my roommate.
It's my pet, Tony.
You don't have to act strange on purpose.
I don't think you're handling it well.
- He looks scared. - I'm fine.
Did you come here to introduce your snake?
No, I wanted to talk about my paintings...
- and the thoughts I have. - You're not a snake catcher, right?
- Stop it. - Sorry.
- Please stay silent. - I'm sorry.
Why is he...
Okay. I will stay silent.
Everyone, let me introduce the buskers for the 12th episode of our show.
All right. First of all,
we have a decent and well-dressed...
- handsome announcer... - Where is he going?
Please don't block the camera.
- It's shooting me right now. - Come on.
Why are you blocking the camera?
- Gosh. - It's a bit cold in the set.
It could be a little cold for Tony.
He's not a decent and well-dressed handsome announcer anymore.
Now he's receiving attention as a pathetic freelancer.
He's Jo Woo-jong, the newcomer of variety shows.
Good to see you.
I used to meet Woo-jong often...
when I was on KBS shows.
I heard he's worried about not getting enough offers.
I thought I'd get a lot of offers when I left the company.
I just stayed at home for a few weeks doing nothing.
- Do you get offers these days? - These days...
Yes. I worked five days last week.
Especially, quite a few shows of JTBC...
are gaining popularity by combining...
- the concept of current affairs and variety shows. - Yes.
JTBC should let me be in one of those shows.
- Do you want to get an offer? - Let's say "Newsroom" has called you.
- Okay. - Will you take the offer?
News? I can't be a news anchor.
- Why? - You used to be an announcer.
- Why can't you do it? - I can't.
- Why not? - I can't.
It's been a while.
But if they combine the concept of current affairs and variety shows,
- Like Choi Yang-rak. - then I can do it.
Are there any personal talents you're working on?
- These days? - Yes.
- There are a few. - Show us one of them.
I can do...
- an impression of Oh Dal-su. I will show you. - Okay.
Hey, is that really your case?
My colleague in Seodaemun Police Station messed with a chaebol.
He was retaliated and divorced his wife.
He's broke. Now he makes charcoal fire at a barbecue restaurant.
Wow.
Great.
- Wow. - He was good.
It must've been hard.
- I practiced a lot. - Making ends meet wasn't easy for you.
He's good.
You're an announcer. Why did you practice this?
- Can I do some more? - Sure.
Do everything you want to do.
I will do an impression of Lee Se-dol.
Oh!
I've never seen someone do this.
- Great. - It's Go Player Lee Se-dol.
Don't give up. Don't get discouraged.
I don't want to say these things.
I will say this instead.
You can do it well.
That's it.
- Show us another one. - Yes.
- I'll do an impression of Park Shin-yang. - Okay.
Park Shin-yang.
I'm close to the CEO of this broadcasting company.
I asked him if I could sing a song on the show. He said I can.
The door is opening
- You're coming in - Hey.
Baby, let's go. Sorry?
What are you going to talk about today?
(What will you talk about?)
- Didn't I sound like... - Woo-jong.
- Do you think the show is going well? - I don't think it's going well for me.
It's supposed to be funny.
It's strange. It's hard to be funny on JTBC shows.
Great.
Next, we have the leader of Justice Party.
She is also one of the 20th National Assembly members. It's Sim Sang-Jung.
(Sim-crush, Legislator Sim Sang-Jung)
Welcome.
We've never had a leader of a party...
- on our show. - Yes.
- We've asked the leaders of political parties in Korea to come on the show. - Yes.
- We called all of them. - You're the first one...
who accepted our offer.
- I thought I was the only one who got the offer. - Right.
I took the offer putting everything aside.
- So... - We thought you weren't that busy. That's what we thought.
The schedule of a party leader is in inverse proportion to...
the number of parliamentary seats.
Our party is relatively small.
- So I have to work really hard to gain more recognition. - Right.
She could've just laughed.
Her answer felt somewhat serious.
Today, we are very happy to have...
Sim Sang-Jung on our show.
But some may think,
"Doesn’t she understand the situation we're facing at the moment?"
"Does she have time to be on a TV show?"
Some may think that way.
Why did you decide to come on As I Say?
Politicians need people's votes and support.
So they make promises they can't keep,
and they're used to exaggerating things they've done.
That's why people say, "Why would you trust politicians?"
I think that's the cause of the distrust.
Recently, the public's distrust is reaching its boiling point.
And this is when we need busking politics.
When we talk face to face,
it's hard to lie.
Have you watched our show?
I started to watch As I Say...
- because of Hee-yeol. - Oh.
- You do care about men's looks. - Hee-yeol...
I watched the show,
and Haha was on the program, too.
- Yes. - So I thought to myself,
"Yes, this is it."
So we named it "Current Affairs Busking"...
and went to the streets to meet people.
- But we came up with the idea originally. - Isn't it copyrighted?
Don't you think you copied us?
You have to understand that I'm promoting your show.
- People might get confused. - We're thinking to charge fees...
- for our promotional work. - Sang-Jung,
- did you use the word "busking"? - Yes.
Did you plagiarize As I Say and use the word "busking"?
- He mentioned plagiarism. - Well...
Please answer yes or no.
(Answer yes or no.)
Please answer.
Yes.
- Yes. - Yes.
- She said yes. - Yes.
Also...
- All right. - It's an honor for us.
A while ago, I thought...
Sang-Jung is a cheerful person.
There's a video clip...
that went viral a while ago. It's a parody of a TV commercial.
- She mimicked Lee Na-young. - I've seen it.
Winter became warmer, thanks to Heattech.
One layer of this will keep you warm.
I will be with you as long as I can.
(Ah!)
Be confident without fear.
- I'm sure you're busy coming up with these ideas. - Yes.
How did you come up with that?
To be honest,
there's a guy who came up with this idea.
- He's over there. - I see.
Did we hire a new writer today? There's a male writer.
Who is he?
It says, "If you're not funny, you'll be impeached."
"If you're not funny, you'll be impeached."
- He's funny. - Who is that man?
He's the youngest assistant in the office.
I see.
- Is he your aide? - Is he?
When he first made suggestions to me,
I refused to do it.
- Now, you're accepting them. - One of the principles I follow is...
that when people who are 30 or younger...
make suggestions, I always say yes.
Does she always say yes when her aides who are 30 or younger...
- make suggestions to her? - Yes.
Perhaps, she doesn't know that I'm actually 31 in Korean age.
You don't know how old he is.
I'm 30.
Initially, she didn't want to shoot the parody commercial.
But it seems she's enjoying it these days.
I see.
I never knew that I was a talented actor.
- I realized that. - She tells us things like that.
Talented actor?
"She tells us things like that."
All right. Now,
- you're very popular as a politician. - Yes.
I heard that you used to be a star in the labor movement.
- Yes. - How did you start participating in the labor movement?
I went to college...
and thought...
I wanted to date this guy.
- You chose someone. - What type of man do you like?
When I chose someone...
and followed them around,
- they were all part of a labor movement. - I see.
- Your ideal type must be men in labor movements. - At first, I gave up.
But there was one guy that I couldn't give up on.
That's how I...
started to participate in the labor movement.
So you didn't start the labor movement because of your belief,
- but because of love. - Yes.
Was there a specific reason that made you start dedicating your life to this?
I started going to a night school.
On winter vacation during my junior year,
I started working in a factory.
- The first factory I worked in was a sewing factory. - I see.
I started to learn sewing work.
Normally when you sew, there's a main person who sews,
- and there's an assistant called "Sida". - Yes.
We used Japanese words back then.
We brought teenagers from the countryside that were around 13 to 14.
- They must've been in the seventh grade... - Right.
or sixth grade.
They came back from school...
at about 4:30pm.
They left their backpacks in the dormitory and came back to work.
They worked until around 2am.
There's something more surprising.
They used a press machine.
It was a machine that pressed clothing.
- They dozed off after they pushed the clothes in... - Oh, no.
and accidentally pressed their hands.
There were several accidents like that in a month.
This really broke my heart.
These children were working so diligently and sincerely,
but they had no rights.
They weren't even properly compensated for their work.
How could they be treated this way?
I started to feel this...
and realized at that moment that this was my path.
I really felt this...
and started the labor movement...
with a mind full of determination.
Then 25 years passed by like this.
This may seem off the topic,
- but you said your first goal was to date someone. - Yes.
Were you popular around men? You kept telling us you were pretty.
- Although... - Tell us honestly.
I'm old now...
and I look different, when I was in college,
I was a very stylish person.
There were many guys that followed me around.
We're not talking about the police. We're talking about men!
Men that liked you.
- That's why you misunderstood her. - Yes.
- I thought they were policemen. - You thought the police was following her.
Have you ever heard that you look like someone?
When people saw my picture during my college years,
they said I looked like Soo-ae.
- Soo-hae? - Soo-ae.
- Soo-ae? - Yes, Soo-ae.
Soo-ae? Who? Who are you talking about?
- You don't know who Soo-ae is? - We know.
Look at that sign. It says, "Don't get angry."
- "Don't get angry." - That's how everyone feels.
- You need to understand... - That's right.
because this is an entertainment show.
We all have to laugh happily.
I'll get straight to the point and ask you an important question.
Our show is being filmed on December 7th.
Do you think the impeachment bill will be passed?
- Haha. - Yes?
- Can I get angry? - Of course.
- Everyone wants to know this. - There are two days left.
I think it will be passed.
- But there's a process according to the constitutional law. - Yes.
- This also has to be judged by the Constitutional Court. - Right.
The citizens can't do anything about this.
No, we can.
Only the citizens can do this.
The citizens are the sovereign of our country.
They are the final decision makers.
If they didn't unite as one with strong determination,
this political issue wouldn't have come this far.
Although we're talking about this right now,
this show will be aired...
- after the result has been opened. - Right.
I declare that the impeachment bill...
for President Park Geun-hye has been passed.
The impeachment bill has been passed with huge vote differences.
The controversy will continue to go on.
After the impeachment has been decided, it goes to the Constitutional Court.
What do you think will happen?
Instead of the opposition party,
the citizens will bring the light of their candles to the Constitutional Court.
I think the Constitutional Court...
will make the fastest decision that they can make.
I'm looking forward to this.
- The whole government is paralyzed right now. - Yes.
Considering this,
this abnormal situation has to end as soon as possible.
This is for the country, and it's what the citizens want.
From this perspective, I hope that the Constitutional Court...
accepts what the citizens want and makes a fast decision.
The next guest is a young artist that has the attention of the world.
He's well-known for his drawings that look more real than pictures.
He is Jung Joong-won, the hyperrealism artist.
(Artist Jung Joong-won)
- Welcome. - Wow.
- I'm embarrassed to ask this question. - What?
I have heard of the word "hybrid".
I know everything related with "ha".
What is hyperrealism?
You may have seen a drawing drawn by people.
It looks identical to a picture,
- and you get confused if it's a drawing or a picture. - I've seen it.
That's called hyperrealism.
Can we see a drawing that you drew?
- Let's see. - I don't know exactly what he means.
- I want to see. - Oh my gosh.
That's a drawing?
I can't believe it.
- That is... - Isn't that a picture?
Robert Downey Jr. posted that on his social media account.
- Really? - Yes.
Look at his mustache.
- This is the real picture. - Yes.
- This is the drawing. - Right.
In order to make it look like a drawing,
he made the background...
- kind of blurry. - Yes.
- It's blurry. - I had to make it look like a drawing.
Can we see another one?
- You drew this? - Is it a drawing?
- Yes. - This is a drawing?
I really can't believe this.
Ian McKellen also introduced this drawing on his social media account.
He must be really proud. I understand him.
- Thank you. - Sorry that I ignored you.
- Did you ignore him? - This really is a drawing.
Yes, when he brought a snake...
- You called him a snake catcher. - I'm sorry.
- Wow. - My goodness.
- Look at the hair color. - Which one is the picture?
- He has less wrinkles on this one. - I have no idea.
You look so cool.
- Let's give him a big hand. This is amazing. - Thank you.
Do famous people like Robert Downey Jr...
- follow your social media account? - I'm not sure.
- He's more curious about this. - I know.
How do you draw that?
Some canvases are big as my height.
I use a small brush that women use for makeup.
I use it to draw every little detail.
- How long does it take? - It takes me...
from one month and a half...
- It takes long. - to a year.
That long?
- That's a long time. - Yes.
You must have a unique method...
to look at people's faces.
It's like an occupational hazard.
When people pass by me,
I keep scanning their faces.
"That's a great face to draw on canvas."
"That face might be difficult. That face is easy."
- What do you think about our faces? - They are optimal for drawing.
- Haha or Hee-yeol? - Both of you.
- Both of us? - Both of your faces are easy to draw.
- Why? - Our faces are shaped nicely and artistically.
Being easy to draw means that the face has distinct features.
- I knew it. - I can see your features as soon as I look.
But there are also handsome faces.
- Faces like Song Joong-ki or Gang Dong-won. - They are like us.
Their faces are hard to draw.
I see.
Their faces are easy. Do you mean they're poorly shaped?
What is it?
- Metaphysical? - Ugly?
- It's avant-garde. - Avant-garde?
You three are so excited to make fun of us.
Then you must draw your own face in 10 seconds...
since it's so easy to draw.
(Laughing)
In other words, being handsome means that it has no features.
Tell us how long it would take to draw us.
Tell us in minutes.
- Tell us. - Woo-jong.
- Tell us in minutes. - Dong-hoon.
- Let's take off our glasses. - Take them off.
- Take them off. - Okay.
Take yours off.
Woo-jong, you look terrible.
I hide behind my glasses.
You really need glasses.
Tell us how long it would take to draw Haha.
About 40 minutes?
- About 40 minutes. - Yes.
That's quite long.
I'm satisfied. What about 10 more minutes?
- It would take 40 minutes. - Okay.
What about me?
- Hee-yeol. - 20 minutes.
- He said 20 minutes. - Good job.
Hey, leave our guest alone.
It's 20 minutes.
What a simple face.
It takes 40 minutes and 20 minutes.
What about Woo-jong?
- What? - I'm not sure.
Why not?
I'm not sure.
I don't want to draw him.
(Denied)
Nice. We're sitting in the proper order.
- You have to draw! - You have soft features.
- It's soft? - Yes.
Faces with soft lines...
aren't that attractive when it's made into a drawing.
Not attractive!
Do I have to throw it out?
He really has a way of making fun of people.
His face has been denied.
Okay, I envy you guys.
Haha just asked me...
how much those drawings cost.
How much do you receive after a year of work?
The price depends on the demand for my drawing.
I'm barely making ends meet. I don't earn a lot of money though.
- Don't you sell your painting for 100,000 dollars? - No.
- He's going to. - Give me 100,000 dollars, then I'll give you one.
I'm 70,000 dollars in debt.
How can I buy a painting for 100,000 dollars?
Calm down.
- Did you say 100,000 dollars? - Tony, bite him!
Goodness.
It's funny.
(A moment later!)
(I started working as a comedian at KBS.)
(He reveals his shocking past.)
(They say I left the company because of money.)
(They're right.)
(Honest)
(The fake and shams)
(An unsolvable situation...)
(dominated by the fakes)
(Legislators who eat rice soup)
(Citizens speak for themselves!)
(Current Affairs Busking will start in a moment.)
That was our 12th meeting on As I Say.
It's time for us to courageously open the door...
and go out to the street.
Yes, today's location for the busking is Sinchon Busking Zone,
where you can feel the young and romantic energy.
We have to go there now.
There's something you want to say, right?
- I heard you're busy. - Today at 3pm,
the three opposition parties are holding a joint convention...
at the National Assembly building.
So I have to go to the National Assembly building right now.
- Are you in a hurry? - Yes.
If you go through that door, you'll get there in no time.
- She's in a hurry right now. - Yes.
- She has to go to Yeouido right now. - Open the door.
- Should I open this door? - Yes.
- You have to push the door. - Okay.
Yeouido!
(Bursting into laughter)
Is she gone? Like this?
- Let's go to Sinchon. - Let's go.
- Let's go. - Sinchon!
Sinchon!
- Sinchon! - Sinchon!
(Sinchon Busking Zone)
(They arrived at Sinchon shouting!)
Goodness.
This is today's busking place.
- We're here in Sinchon! - Yes!
Sim Sang-Jung had to go to...
- Yeouido for a while. - Yes.
- She will join us again soon. - Right.
There are a lot more people than we thought there would be. Should we greet them?
- Everyone. - Yes?
- You Hee-yeol and Haha are here, so... - Ha Hee-yeol!
- They know. - One, two, three.
- Ha Hee-yeol! - They know.
- We have to work harder. Thank you. - We have to.
This is our first busking of December.
We have to get ready for winter.
If you talk to the audience while looking into their eyes,
they'll be able to feel the warmth of your message.
- You two have to create that atmosphere. - Well, we're in Sinchon.
All right. Sim Sang-Jung isn't here with us now, but we will go up there...
- and plan our strategy for today's busking. - Okay.
- Let's go. - See you in a moment.
- Ha Hee-yeol. - See you!
- She's the only one said "Ha Hee-yeol". - Ha Hee-yeol.
Ha Hee-yeol.
Thank you.
- Ha Hee-yeol. - See you in a moment.
(Waiting room)
- We're in the waiting room now. - Yes.
That's right. You probably all know this.
- Let's chant our slogan. - Do you guys have a slogan?
- You all know this, right? - Yes.
All right. In 1, 2, 3.
- Yes, yes, yes. - Yes, yes, yes.
- Let's go! - Let's go!
You should've let me know beforehand.
I don't know what the slogan is. It's my first time being here.
The outside temperature is 6.5 °C at the moment.
- Great. - Great.
- The weather is nice, but it's a bit chilly outside. - Yes.
Woo-jong, do you think you can gather a huge crowd?
I'm really worried and nervous. Goodness.
You've never done this, have you?
This is the most nerve-wracking moment since I went freelance.
After the busking, I might die.
CEO Sohn Suk-hee said he loves watching our show.
- He did? - He's watching us!
Then I will do my best.
- All right. - What are you doing?
- Get out there! - Yes!
Should I get out there? Let's go.
- Woo-jong, you have to do it well. - Good luck!
- Thanks. I'll get out there. - It's all up to you.
Okay. Let's do this.
Wow.
- I can do this. - He's awesome.
People have gathered already.
- It's... - Things have changed.
(The place is full of people already.)
(Ha Hee-yeol)
(He said hello to me.)
Goodness, they love me so much.
(I'm too popular.)
(They love Haha.)
He must be nervous.
There she is.
- That's Sang-Jung. - Sang-Jung is back.
- She's back. - Yes.
- That was quick. - She keeps her promise.
- Did she come through that door? - Well...
You're back. You came back early.
How did it go at the National Assembly?
That's where my real field of expertise lies. I'm not used to being on this show.
(While they're greeting Sang-Jung,)
(Woo-jong enters the busking zone.)
- Yes. - Hello.
Everyone, it's good to see you all.
Please sit down.
Please sit comfortably.
They were waiting holding their cushions.
It's a bit chilly, but thankfully, it's not that cold.
I've been working in broadcasting for the past 12 years,
but I've never talked about my own story...
for a long time in front of many people.
I was jobless for a long time.
Actually, I was jobless...
for four years.
After I graduated college, I spent four years preparing to be an announcer.
After you graduate college,
1 year feels like 10 years.
It wasn't easy for me during that time,
and I want to talk about that time today.
Are there any college students here?
Raise your hand if you're a college student.
- What year are you in? - Are you in your third year?
Are you preparing to get a job?
It's about time, right? You're going to be a college senior.
As for me, I had no idea what I had to do when I was in college.
When I became a college senior, my friends...
started to apply for jobs.
Some were preparing to get a job.
I thought, "What should I do?"
A mere thought I had was that I wanted to be on TV.
So I decided to become an announcer.
So I went to take the test.
I just went there without any preparation.
MBC, SBS, KBS,
YTN, Ulsan MBC,
Jeju MBC...
I took the tests.
But I failed all the first tests.
In the first test, you look at the camera,
tell the examinee number, and read the news.
I went to MBC. You all know Anchor Sohn Suk-hee, right?
He was one of the examiners.
I went in, and they called my name.
I was really nervous. The A4 paper I was holding was shaking like this.
"Examinee number 147,"
"I'm Jo Woo-jong."
They said, "You can leave."
That's how I failed the test. It's true.
I have to say Sohn Suk-hee is insightful.
He really is.
Are there anyone who have received rejection letters?
Anyone? We all have, right?
When you receive the letter, you become dispirited.
You become timid in a way.
So the one year of preparation had passed just like that.
So I decided...
to give it my best and prepare for the test as hard as other people did.
I didn't study much when I was in college.
My average grade when I was a freshman was...
0.98 out of 4.5.
That was my average grade as a freshman.
I didn't study much.
Then I started to study really hard in my second year of unemployment.
I went to library at 7am.
I studied TOEIC for 10 hours a day.
Then I read newspapers and books for fours every day.
I read a lot of them.
After getting my TOEIC score and preparing for four hours a day,
I went to take the test again. I was ready.
That year, I was given a chance to have the final interview at KBS.
Only 2 people remained out of 1,000 applicants.
The other interviewee was...
Announcer Choi Dong-seok, who is now the husband of Park Ji-yoon.
He's still working as an announcer at KBS.
He looks like Bae Yong-joon,
but I look like Park Shin-yang, right?
(Laughing)
He resembles Seok-Jin, the Big Nose.
It's even worse than me saying I look like Soo-Ae.
(Delighted)
I even remember my examinee number. Choi Dong-seok was No. 99.
I was No. 131.
The person whose name appears in red is the successful applicant.
And if your name appears in black, it means you failed.
So I went to check if I passed.
The number that appeared in red was No. 99.
(Disappointed)
No. 131 appeared in black.
(He failed the final interview.)
It was the victory of Bae Yong-joon.
I checked the result in an internet cafe,
then I cried my eyes out.
Then...
I was on the verge of a mental breakdown.
I couldn't think.
I couldn't think about anything. I just zoned out.
I didn't know what I could do in the future.
By then, I had been unemployed for more than two years.
Some of my friends became assistant managers.
Some even got married.
I was really scared.
It must've been really tough for him.
About 2 or 3 three months passed.
I had to face the third year of my unemployment.
I had accomplished nothing.
Nil.
So I decided to try anything. I thought I had no chance of becoming an announcer.
That's what I thought. Then,
in March, they posted a job opening,
saying they're looking for an MC for KBS variety shows.
Some of the applicants were Noh Hong-chul...
and Yoo Min-sang. I received...
a silver prize there and made my debut on national television.
- He didn't start as an announcer. He debuted as an entertainer instead. - I see.
You wouldn't know about this because I've never said this on TV.
So I signed an exclusive two-year contract with KBS...
and became a KBS comedian.
- A comedian? - Is he serious?
As expected...
The hardest time was...
when senior comedians would talk behind my back.
"Who is that guy?"
"What? He's a comedian?"
"Is he Ji Seok-Jin or what?"
"Isn't he Ji Seok-Jin?"
When I was mopping up the floor, I heard them say that.
Every day, all I would do was mop up the floor.
I went on a show just once.
Have you heard of "Open Concert"?
You know, the show where you go and clap in the back. That's all I did.
Soon, it was August. Then, September...
I had reached my third year of being unemployed.
I couldn't wait anymore. So I went directly to the director in charge.
"Director?"
"Oh, hello."
"I want to cancel my contract."
I thought he'd stop me.
But he shook my hand.
"If you feel that way, I guess there's nothing we can do. Good luck."
I became unemployed again.
I'd been unemployed for three years and nine months.
MBC, SBS, and YTN were already done with taking applications.
KBS was the only place left still accepting it.
- Even though I know, I'm getting nervous. - "Let's try this, one last time."
- "Let's do this." - You should.
So I went to apply for it.
There, I managed to make it all the way to the final interview.
Wow, congratulations.
- Nice. - There were two applicants left.
I managed to get to the final interview.
In front of me were the president and the vice-president.
Do you remember the director who canceled my contract?
He was there, too.
- He was there, too. - This is pretty much a drama.
They were all there.
He went, "Aren't you that guy who said he was going to be a comedian?"
I replied, "Yes, sir."
He said, "Just because you come here doesn't mean we'll pick you."
"How dense can you get?" That's what he said.
"I know it seems foolish, but..."
"I came here because I wanted to try one more time."
"Today might be my very last day doing this..."
"so let me show you a mimicry."
He did a mimicry?
He really did?
There I said, "How are the president and directors?"
(He sounds the same.)
"I have a favor to ask you."
"Especially for the president..."
"I'll buy you an ice cream bar, so hire me!"
"Give me a shot." That's what I did.
They really liked it.
"You should have stuck with being a comedian."
"How do you expect to be an announcer?"
After waiting for three weeks,
I got the results.
This time, the red light...
came on for Jo Woo-jong!
(It's an amazing success story.)
You worked so hard to get in there. Why did you leave?
You're back to being unemployed.
After four years of being unemployed,
I finally was able to realize my dream.
I was able to live happily ever after as an announcer.
At least that's what I thought.
But reality is very different from fairy tales.
Something happened again.
For the first two years, working as an announcer...
was so much fun.
I was enjoying every moment of working at a broadcasting station.
Before I knew it, I'd been there for 10 years.
I thought, "Wait, this wasn't what I wanted to do."
"Is it okay for me to keep doing this?"
"Is it right for me to do the same thing every day?"
(The dream has become another routine.)
Some people say I left because of money.
- Yes, it was for the money. I left to make more. - He's so cool.
But more than that, I also wanted to enjoy my work again...
and challenge myself to something new.
When you're all making an important decision, that choice...
is up to you.
Teachers, sisters, or brothers?
They'll give you advice on what to do, but...
you're the one who's deciding.
That's why life is not easy.
Every time I have to make an important decision, I go to the bathroom.
I go in and think in the bathroom for 5 to 10 minutes.
I never regretted my decisions.
I thought, "Fine, let's go. I've decided."
I went right into action.
That's how I came back to being a zero.
That's how I became Ya-in again.
The character of "ya" means the wild.
I went back to the wild.
In the wild, sometimes there might or might not be roads.
Sometimes, you have to make your own roads.
Ya-in are people who have to make their own roads.
That's why I'm still in the process of making my own path.
But I'm beginning to regret it.
- Oh no. - I regret it.
Why? Because I left a stable workplace.
So I can't help but regret it.
I don't know what my future holds.
It makes me so nervous I can't sleep.
But that's just life.
After four years of unemployment, you can realize your dreams,
become happy, fall back into devastation, and start over fresh.
I'm sure there are lots of people who are having a hard time getting a job.
Same goes for the college students.
Same goes for office workers.
Everyone's having a hard time, but it'd be nice if we could all stick together.
I'm very happy to be...
a member of that group.
Thank you.
(He shared his painful life stories with us.)
We're rooting for you.
I know you're not working right now.
What's the biggest difference of going to work and not going to work?
What's different? Well, I don't qualify for insurance anymore.
- Yes. - The interest rate on the loans starts to get higher.
- The interest rates? - Yes.
- Yes, they get higher right away. - Right away?
- That's what happened when I left the National Assembly. - Oh.
- It's so different. - Of course.
- Good luck. - Thank you.
(She ends it by cheering for him.)
- You said you were unemployed for three years. - Yes.
- You were preparing yourself to become an announcer. - Yes.
Were you only focusing on practicing news reports?
Or did you have to do other things, too?
For me, practicing news reports was the basic.
I would practice for two hours in the morning and at night.
I'd read books and newspapers out loud.
And also, I'd like to ask everyone if you know your voice.
Let me show you a simple way to find your voice.
If you can just feel your voice box below your Adam's apple...
Touch it...
and make a sound like this.
Ready, go.
(Vocalizing)
There's a voice that comes out when your voice box goes up a little bit.
That's your true voice.
That's...
(Vocalizing)
(Here...)
(and there)
(Everyone's vocalizing in Sinchon.)
Be quiet.
Enough already. You can do it at home. Anyway, that's your voice.
When you have to take a test or go for an interview,
it's important to speak with your own voice.
That's how you can get your sincerity across from your voice.
- I'm also trying hard to get hired. - Yes.
How were you able to endure through...
with your parents and friends worrying about and looking at you that way?
During the 3rd and 4th year of my unemployment,
all my friends were working.
- Everyone except me. - Same here.
Not really. You have a girlfriend next to you.
Right? My goodness.
You really have everything, don't you?
- Excluding this... - Excluding this?
Did you just call your girlfriend "this"?
How could you? Anyway, the scariest thing about being unemployed...
is the things you hear from your family.
Every single holiday when you get together,
they start asking for your grades...
and where you work. You know what I'm talking about.
All you need to do is answer them back confidently.
Just tell them what you're doing to prepare for something.
I know they're making fun of me behind my back.
I can feel their scorns.
But, I told them truthfully with confidence.
I knew that moment would pass.
(This too will pass.)
- You're working as a freelance. - Yes.
- How do you want to be remembered... - Your voice sounds better than mine.
No, not at all.
I wanted to ask how you wanted to be remembered.
Actually, I have a hunger for fame.
In 10 years, I want to be remembered...
as one of the top five hosts in Korea.
- I hope it comes true. - Thanks.
Thank you, everyone. I'm a Ya-in...
who was an announcer. I'm Jo Woo-jong. Thank you.
(We're so proud of you.)
- He's so awesome. - He's back.
(It was as if a boy next door was busking.)
So cool. He's so cool.
- Welcome back. - I didn't know.
- Your hand... - How did I do?
- That was an amazing opening. - Thank you so much.
I was so nervous.
Out of all the reasons you stated for leaving your job,
it made a huge impression on me when you truthfully told them...
- it was for money. - Yes.
After all, people need to make money to survive.
When the staff called you, the only questions your manager had were...
Normally they'll ask about who else is coming and what they'll need to bring.
But I heard he just asked two things.
He asked, "How much is the pay?"
"What does he have to wear?"
It's time for our second busking.
- Sim Sang-Jung, what are you doing? - Get out there!
(What are you doing? Get out there!)
(Sim Sang-Jung goes forth.)
Wow.
- Hello. - Hello.
- Do you know who I am? - Yes.
It seems like there are a lot of you who know who I am.
Some of you might think, "Who was that person again?"
Some of you might wonder who I am.
I'm Sim Sang-Jung. It's nice to meet you.
(Nice to meet you.)
When I agreed to come on this show,
a lot of people were surprised.
I was one of them.
People might have thought, "How can JTBC call someone like Sim Sang-Jung?"
"What strong topic is she going to talk about this time?"
There were a lot of people worried about that.
(Chuckling)
But today, I won't be talking about the president.
You Hee-yeol and Haha, don't worry.
(Surprised)
I believe it was around October of 2012.
I was really busy...
so I had to leave my office.
As I was leaving, some people tried to push their way in the office.
A young boy in a wheelchair...
and a young mother pushed their way in.
Seeing that...
shocked me greatly.
Next to the boy, there was an oxygen tank...
as big as the boy himself.
That oxygen tank was connected to the boy's nose and throat...
through a hose.
When that mother saw me, she said,
"Ma'am, please help us."
"We're victims of the humidifier sterilizers."
It took about 10 seconds for me to tell you this story.
But it took that mother 3 to 5 minutes...
to tell me this same story.
It took that long...
because the mother would cough every two seconds.
The majority of the victims from this humidifier sterilizer incident...
are children and babies.
The mothers took great care to take care of their babies.
That's why they ended up using the sterilizer on their humidifiers.
And without knowing it, they made their children the victims.
They believe they're responsible for killing their kids.
They'll feel guilty about that...
for the rest of their lives.
- How could this have ever happened? - Right.
It was a real tragedy.
When you ask the government to take care of this, the government says...
this is a problem between the corporations and its consumers.
They say, "Why should we be held responsible?"
If you bring this up to the corporations,
they said they did everything according to the law.
They say, "Why should we be held responsible for the flimsy law?"
There's a reason it took so long for this incident to be resolved.
After a lot of great efforts,
we were finally able to push the National Assembly to provide...
a resolution for the incident of the humidifier sterilizers.
After that, the government finally started to...
provide relief to the victims of the incident.
The victims who gave up and had scattered far and wide...
all started to come together, one by one.
They got together to have a press conference and start a protest.
And eventually, the public started to get interested.
The humidifier sterilizer incident started to come back to the surface.
That's when we started to notice of that incident.
What does the public opinion move?
Politics.
Politics are all about the polls.
Once there's public interest, the National Assembly can call for an investigation.
And for the first time, the court ruled...
that the victims should be compensated.
I was able to realize an important fact from this situation.
Although the victims of this incident had to go through such tragic situations,
they didn't give up.
They were constantly...
going around asking the meaning of a nation...
and its politics.
That was able to move the public.
The public was boiling with rage like water in a kettle.
It made the National Assembly and the courthouse do something about this.
You know how there's a saying we're like a kettle.
Yes, a lot of people say the people of Korea are like a kettle.
They heat up really fast and cool down really fast.
There are many people who view that as a negative thing, but I disagree.
I would like to tell them one thing.
Don't kick the boiling kettle.
Have you ever been that passionate?
If you mess with the kettle, you'll get burned.
That's what I would say to them.
Same goes for the candle protest.
At first, there were 300,000 and then 1,000,000.
Even then, the government didn't budge. So what happened?
Next time, 2.3 million people had gathered.
(The boiling public of 2.3 million people)
Our citizens were stating they were the owner of this country.
They had the power.
When they used their powers, the government started to move.
A boiling pot has great strength.
(This is how strong a boiling kettle is.)
Of all the remarks the citizens made last weekend,
one made a huge impression on me.
A 19-year-old girl stated,
"Our family has no leisure..."
"to spend time with our own family."
"Our schools aren't very democratic."
"Our society doesn't protect our labor laws."
"Will this all be resolved with just the president stepping down?"
(Will all these problems be solved with just the president stepping down?)
"I don't believe the president is the cause of..."
"all our problems." That's what she said.
Do you agree?
(Nodding)
Everyone's nodding.
When you guys buy your cellphone...
When you buy an expensive cellphone and it doesn't work,
what do you do? You call the store right away and complain.
You get them to fix it. And if it still doesn't work,
you ask for them to exchange it.
I believe politics is the same.
We need to demand it.
You need to get the kettle boiling hot.
You need to make the government follow your orders.
I truly believe that can be done. Thank you.
(It can be done.)
She's going to take questions.
You told us to boil the kettle.
How big does the kettle have to be?
The size of the kettle is important?
- The capacity? - The size...
- That was great. - The kettle...
It's not like we can always have 2,500,000 people go out to protest.
So how many people does it take to move the government?
This time, I believe the citizens were able to make a big accomplishment.
Depending on the issue, there are city officials, district officials,
congressmen, and the president.
So that you'll be able to move the right level of people,
I believe it's good for you to prepare kettles of all shape and sizes.
More than a question,
I have a request.
You made a cellphone analogy, but we can't go directly to exchange the faulty item.
All we can do is ask someone to go exchange it for us.
We're going to Gwanghwamun every weekend to ask them that,
but the people who can act out that request are the members of National Assembly.
I don't see why you need to come there, too.
You guys don't have to. We'll take care of it.
Just hurry up with executing our requests.
- That's what I wanted to say. - I see.
And every weekend, you go there...
only talking about her faults,
- but I think it's everyone's faults. - I see.
- I really would like them to execute the task. - Yes. You're right.
She's so cool.
We should bring that woman who said that over here.
I believe we don't...
need any more excuses.
After the impeachment of the president is settled, I believe...
the next candle protest will be aimed at the National Assembly.
We'll do our utmost best so that your wishes...
can be carried out clearly.
You just mentioned how the citizens have to work together with the politicians...
to make a difference in the government,
but before that,
you have to realize a lot of people don't see politicians as sincere people.
They say they speak for the people,
but all they care about is gathering enough votes during the election.
That's why they go to eat rice soup in the market then.
I wanted to know if you were...
- aware of that and feeling remorse. - Oh, wow.
Let's bring that boy in to sit over on that side.
(Let's make him sit over there.)
But, the power that moves politicians...
belong to the voters.
During the election, if they think they can become...
a member of National Assembly by making promises they can't keep,
they'll continue to do that.
That's why although it's tough and hard,
you have to continue to demand, pressure, and watch them.
And if that doesn't work, you need to bring them down.
If we do that, I believe our politics will change.
Thank you.
(The end of Sim Sang-jung's busking)
Thank you.
(The collected money will be donated to charity through Happy Bean.)
- Welcome back. - Welcome.
Good job out there.
- Your hands are so cold. - It's really cold.
It must be cold outside.
- Please, have a seat. - Thank you.
Yes.
There was one citizen who was really angry. She went,
- "We'll take care of it!" - Yes.
She was very straightforward about you going there to fix things.
Well, we should expect things like that.
After all, the citizens don't have the power to directly do that.
They're entrusting us to do our job.
Actually, even amongst us,
we were criticizing Korean politics a lot.
You Hee-yeol said the most.
- When did I ever? - You surprised me.
- When did I do that? - You did.
But to be honest, watching over the politicians...
is not an easy thing to do.
It's not like...
we have a method to keep our eyes on the politicians.
People are busy trying to make a living.
There isn't a citizen who would sacrifice everything to save the country.
And I shouldn't expect that.
But, that doesn't mean we shouldn't be interested in what affects our lives.
- We're going to have our last busking. - Oh.
We're looking forward to it.
Right now, it's currently 5:50pm.
- This is the best time slot. - It is.
- It's the best time for our show. - Yes.
- I'm honored. - Nice.
What are you doing?
- Get out there. - Get out there.
Get out there.
- Good luck. - Good luck.
Have fun.
(He quietly enters the Sinchon Busking Zone.)
Hello. Hello.
Please sit down. It's nice to meet you.
(Who's that?)
The citizens aren't even moving.
(Everyone's frozen.)
How could this happen?
Thank you.
Please, have a seat.
If you keep standing, I'll feel uncomfortable.
(Everyone sits down.)
Everyone seems like they're students.
I can tell what you're all thinking.
Who is this guy?
(Surprised)
I believe I'll have to introduce myself.
Hello, I work in the art industry.
My name is Jung Joong-won.
That's why today, I was planning to talk about...
drawing.
Have you ever heard of something called hyperrealism?
In Korean, it'd be called Geuksasiljui.
I'm sure you saw these kinds of pictures on the internet...
and books, right?
You know, it's a picture made by a person,
but it looks so much like a photo...
that you get confused if it's a painting or a photo.
I do something like that. I'm a hyperrealism artist.
Like they said, seeing is believing.
That's why I brought some of my paintings.
(A taste of Joong-won's pictures)
They'll be surprised.
(He reveals his picture.)
- I drew this with paint. - Wow.
(Wow, awesome!)
It's a portrait of Ian McKellen.
He actually used this photo for his profile on Facebook.
- Wow. - Wow.
But he didn't pay me.
(He didn't pay for it.)
This guy is more famous.
- Wow. - You know who it is, right?
- That's... - Yes, he's Iron Man.
He also used this on Facebook.
But he also didn't pay for it.
Everyone keeps using it, but they never buy it...
even if they're rich.
When you look at these kinds of pictures,
you might think,
"I know he's a good artist."
"I know he worked hard on it,"
"but if he's going to draw it like a photo,"
"why not just take a photo?"
- My thoughts exactly. - Am I right?
Why should I have to work so hard to draw something like that?
Actually, I get that kind of question a lot. People always criticize me for it.
I'm supposed to have a reason for doing that.
But before I answer you,
I have to talk about and explain what hyperrealism...
is all about first.
You're starting to regret sitting down, aren't you?
(Surprised)
It's actually really easy.
Basically, hyperreality is...
all about copying the original. It's a replica.
And it's the fake reality surrounding those products.
Basically, they're counterfeits.
Pseudo.
But they're not just any counterfeits.
They're not just duplicating the original.
They have to look more real than the original.
What happens then? You'll get confused, right?
Which one is real and which one is fake?
What's virtual and what's reality?
When you experience that situation in this hyperreality,
something strange happens.
Basically, everything becomes upside-down.
The original copies the fake.
Reality starts copying the virtual.
- What does that mean? - Why?
You're probably kind of confused about what I'm saying.
- How did he know? - Did he hear me?
I'll give you an example. Everyone uses social media these days, right?
Things like Facebook and Instagram.
Well, let me tell you that social media...
is a form of hyperreality we experience daily.
(Social media is a form of hyperreality?)
What I mean by that is I'm the real original.
And social media is a place where...
I can copy myself through photos and project myself...
into a fake reality.
When social media first came out,
think about how you first started using that.
If you do, you'll realize there was a definite order...
between me and the social media world.
Basically,
you went to a great cafe. You liked it there.
You wanted to share it with your friends.
So you took a photo and uploaded it.
My life came first and the social media followed after me.
But if you look at yourself now,
to upload a great photo,
you end up looking for great cafes.
- That's true. - Oh.
- The orders have switched. - Yes.
Don't you think so?
I'm a complete addict. I came here...
so I could brag on social media.
I don't really care about how this really goes.
(That guy is really...)
Even when we're trying to come to a conclusion in the assembly,
- there are many who are always too busy taking pictures. - To upload them?
(Social media comes before a conference.)
The fake reality of social media...
isn't following after my real life anymore.
Instead, my real life is following after a fake reality.
Same with these guys.
That kind of phenomenon happening in hyperrealism...
was brought to the art world by these paintings.
The viewer is very confused.
Is the painting taking after the photo or the photo taking after the painting?
So to answer that question...
where you asked why I would draw rather than take a picture,
I'll have to say it's because there's a picture that I draw.
It's not about the skills of how well I drew and copied the photos.
The goal of this is to make the viewers...
wonder whether it's an original or a copy.
What's fake and what's real?
If it made you wonder about that for a split second,
there's great meaning in that.
- Wow. - Wow.
There was such a deep philosophy behind that?
Actually, there's a great scary message that hyperrealism...
is trying to tell us.
It's trying to tell us...
this reality we live in...
The structure of this whole reality...
just might be...
a big, fat lie.
It's nothing but a place where the original and the copy switched places.
We might all just be living in one big sphere of hyperreality.
(This might be a fake world based on hyperreality.)
A society is made when individuals gather together.
Why?
It's so we can be happier.
We join society for the sake of safety...
and for the sake of happiness. That's the reason.
But as society grows bigger and bigger,
there are different levels of power and hierarchy.
And before you know it, everything's upside-down.
We, the original, made up a society but ended up...
being suppressed by our creation.
Let me tell you about a personal experience I had.
It was when I was a freshman in college.
I was so happy to have finally become a college student.
But now that I was in college,
it was different from what I'd thought it'd be.
I'm sure you all felt that before.
- You go to the orientation, - Things like hazing.
- but they force you to drink. - Yes.
- They make you drink. - They force you to do strange things.
If you say you don't want to, they curse at you.
Because I went to an art school,
I was forced to help for an upperclassman...
on his own personal project.
I was forced to spend my precious time and work for him without receiving...
anything in return.
That was so unfair.
Did I come to college for this? I started to have doubts.
(You know? Doubts?)
I had doubts.
(That doubt that 96 percent of the citizens feel these days.)
Those upperclassmen that used to bully me...
would always say this to us.
"Hey, are you going to act on your own?"
"College life is all about learning how to work together."
"The department is our priority."
(The department is our priority.)
The department they were talking about is...
the very replica of the society that consumed the individuals.
Don't you see? The society forces the individuals to do things they hate.
Through that, society itself tries to reign over the individuals.
As the collective gets bigger, the individuals are forced to hide.
Because if they stand out,
they'll be kicked out of the group.
That's why whether we like it or not,
we have to keep forcing ourselves...
into the mold that society has made for us.
For example,
(For example...)
when you talk,
you always say, "Personally, I think this and that."
You use that expression a lot, don't you?
When someone asks you how this tasted, you'd go,
"Personally, I think this was good."
It doesn't sound awkward.
But if you think about it, these expressions...
are completely unnecessary.
My opinions all come from me.
Who doesn't know that?
And especially when we talk about our feelings and emotions,
it should be simply good or bad.
But we'd say, "I think I'm good. I think I don't like it."
They're very strange.
- We use that expression a lot. - We really do.
We use it a lot.
It's an expression to protect ourselves.
Even when we talk about...
our thoughts and feelings, we can't help...
but feel a fear of the pressures of society.
Basically, our society...
suppresses us from...
talking freely about our personal thoughts and opinions.
(The society suppresses us.)
This is the very scary aspect of hyperrealism.
Important things don't become important anymore,
and not important things become important,
just like that phrase, "We live without knowing..."
"what's important."
I'm the real original.
Things like society were made by us.
They're something made by us.
Then society should follow after us.
Yet, we're always being dragged around by it.
There's someone named Stephen Fry.
Several years ago, this man made a documentary on how animals lived.
And this man once said,
"As I was observing the animals in the wild,"
"I realized the bear was just a bear."
"A frog was just a frog."
As soon as it's born, a bear will live and die 100 percent as a bear.
As soon as it's born, a frog will live and die 100 percent...
as a frog.
But why does mankind...
have to die, always trying to...
copy what he's not?
The moment I heard that,
something went off in my head.
I work in the arts.
But art is not a special thing.
We're already all born...
as individual masterpieces.
We're great the way we are.
But unfortunately, we throw away our perfect individuality...
to make ourselves a copy of each other until we die.
We want to think and look like everyone else.
Let's not damage our perfect selves like this anymore.
It's such a waste, isn't it?
At the very least, it might not be a perfect masterpiece,
but it should at least be a limited edition.
You need to be a limited edition.
That way, you won't feel so horrible when you die.
Because...
I'm the real original.
(For the sake of my life...)
That's all I have for you today.
(His "For My Sake" busking comes to an end.)
The most important thing is that I'm the original.
- Are you Choi Min-su? - No.
I got too into it.
(He got too into it.)
You didn't expect me to talk about this when I took out those pictures, right?
(The two hosts and the buskers come together.)
(Hello, everyone.)
- Good job. Did you like our busking? - Yes.
Now, we'll...
- have to finish up. - Yes.
The amount we have collected so far...
is a total of 983 dollars.
- Wow. - Does that mean we might go over 1,000 dollars?
- We don't know yet. - I really hope we do.
Let's see how much we were able to collect...
- on our 12th night of busking. - Yes.
- The first busker... - Yes?
We will now reveal...
how much Woo-jong collected today.
The spirit of Ya-in, Jo Woo-jong.
He collected a total of...
- 30 dollars. That's a great haul. - Wow.
- We went over 1,000 dollars. - Wow.
We did it.
- We did it. - We did it.
And next, our second busker,
- our lovely Sim Sang-Jung... - Politicians should keep away from money.
Basically, they would call something like that laying down the bait.
- Yes. - Yes.
- Jo Woo-jong collected 30 dollars. - Yes.
(How much did Sim Sang-Jung collect on top of Woo-jong?)
Together, it's 56 dollars.
(They collected 56 dollars!)
- That's a lot. - Yes.
- That's great. - Please...
Last but not least,
if we add on Jung Joong-won,
the total amount we collected today is...
(What will it be?)
We'll be back after the commercials.
(We'll be back after the commercials.)
What was the total amount we collected tonight?
We'll show you the total amount through our subtitles on the show.
Now, it's time for us to say goodbye.
Let's all end with everyone shouting, "As I Say".
- Are you ready? - Yes.
In 1, 2, 3.
- As I Say! - As I Say!
(A record breaking number! A holiday special busking event is coming near you!)
(Out of all 35 buskers,)
(only seven will be invited!)
(A very special relay of busking with seven busking Avengers)
(As I Say)
Subtitles by OnDemandKorea