A press conference for TV Chosun’s new variety show ‘Survival King 2’ was held on the 20th at the TV Chosun studio in Gasan-dong, Geumcheon-gu, Seoul. CP Lee Seung Hoon, PD Yoon Jong Ho, Kim Jong Kook, Kim Byung Man, Yuk Jun Seo, and Younghoon (The Boyz) attended the event.
‘Survival King 2’ is a global national competition survival program aimed at finding the “top survival king in Asia,” going beyond Korea. This season was filmed in Taiwan.
First introduced in 2024 with Season 1, ‘Survival King’ returns after two years with plans for even more detailed and intense competition. Kim Jong Kook joins as a new MC, adding weight to the program.
Sharing his thoughts on joining, Kim Jong Kook said, “I tried to communicate a lot with the Korean team members as well as the participants from each country. Since there could be complaints about fairness, I worked hard to coordinate those parts. You can think of me as playing the role of balancing things.”
Kim Byung Man, who led the team, also praised Kim Jong Kook’s presence, saying, “The atmosphere on site was a bit chaotic, but (Kim Jong Kook) became the control tower and organized it well. From my perspective, it was reassuring, and it was a moment where I could just focus on the mission.”
From Korea’s ‘Team Kim Byung Man’ led by Kim Byung Man, to Japan’s ‘Team Yoshinari’ boasting overwhelming physical strength, Taiwan’s ‘Team Xu Kai’—a rising survival powerhouse threatening the icon Kim Byung Man—and Malaysia’s ‘Team Hero,’ an all-rounder with both physical and intellectual skills, four teams (12 members) with different strengths will compete. Viewers can enjoy comparing their high-level psychological warfare and survival methods against ever-changing environments.
Expanding its stage to jungles without fire, deserts without water, and unpredictable cities, ‘Survival King 2’ was designed to explore the meaning of “real survival” through a competition between global survival experts. By capturing the meticulous strategies and realistic survival narratives of each team in extreme situations, the show aims to provide an overwhelming sense of immersion that goes beyond a simple test of physical ability, proving a new peak for K-survival.
‘Survival King 2’ premieres today at 10 PM.
