Have the “Tiger” of variety Kang Ho-dong and the “Wit Master” Lee Soo-geun ever felt this small? The ‘Knowing Bros’ studio was filled with a strange mix of tension and awe from the start, facing the overwhelming dignity of guests with a combined age of 253 and an average age of 84.3.
On the May 9th episode of JTBC’s ‘Knowing Bros’, living legends of Korean acting Kim Young-ok (88), Sa Mi-ja (86), and Nam Neung-mi (79) appeared as transfer students.
The studio was swept by a peculiar tension as these three legends, who are young at heart and transferred from “Sixteen High,” made their entrance.
The first hurdle was the show’s “informal speech” concept. As Kang Ho-dong broke into a sweat asking, “Is it okay to use informal speech today?” Seo Jang-hoon tried to stay calm, noting, “We’ve used informal speech with teachers Lee Soon-jae and Shin Goo, so it can’t be helped.” However, Lee Soo-geun couldn’t bring himself to do it, eventually slipping into formal speech and making everyone laugh.
During the episode, Sa Mi-ja showed her affection for “shorty” Lee Soo-geun, saying she wanted to work on a program with him. Lee Soo-geun didn’t miss the chance, responding, “Sa Mi-ja! Date me!” showcasing their seasoned chemistry. Kim Young-ok proved her status as an original superstar by picking Kim Young-chul, jokingly saying, “I picked him because I felt sorry for him,” bringing salty laughs to the set.
Nam Neung-mi revealed a frustrating story about how she became known as a “curser” at the broadcasting station because of Lee Gye-in. The trouble started when Lee Gye-in visited her at 2 AM after fishing and absurdly demanded she make spicy fish stew. She snapped back, “Hey you XXX, who asks for spicy fish stew at this hour!” However, she later showed her warm side, mentioning that Lee Gye-in was simply drawn to the taste of the stew her mother used to make.
Kim Young-ok, who was 8 years old during Liberation, vividly remembered the day, saying, “I didn’t even know what was happening, but I joined in when people were shouting Manse (Hurrah).” Sa Mi-ja also hummed a song filled with the joy of liberation, recalling, “There was a song that went, ‘Flying the national flag on the liberated stagecoach.'” She also shared an anecdote about fleeing as a refugee with a bundle of blankets during the Korean War.
Sa Mi-ja noted, “During the Korean War, I couldn’t evacuate because they said the communists would grab us,” a sentiment Kim Young-ok agreed with. Kim Young-ok then shared a vivid account of the time: “My whole family left as refugees with blanket bundles on our backs. Since there were no rooms, we begged any house to let us stay for just one night, and we ended up living at a young man’s house until Cheongyang was recovered.”
