From Choi Soo-jong to Sam Hammington... The Reason They Gathered on 'Close Friends Variety'

Cast of 'Chinhan Entertainment': Sam Hammington, Sam Okyere, Kim Jun-ho, Bruno, Choi Soo-jong, Robin, Lee Yong-jin, Defconn.

How did the 8 cast members of 'Chinhan Entertainment' come together?

Producer Kim Seong spoke about the process of gathering Choi Soo-jong, Kim Jun-ho, Defconn, Lee Yong-jin, Sam Hammington, Sam Okyere, Bruno, and Robin Deiana at the MBN 'Chinhan Entertainment' production presentation held at the Grand Ambassador Seoul Pullman in Seoul at 11 a.m. on the 7th.

Producer Kim said, "Lee Yong-jin invited Kim Jun-ho, Kim Jun-ho invited Defconn, and later Choi Soo-jong joined. The foreign members met all at once for a pre-meeting. Around autumn, they gathered mainly around Sam Hammington and came to the filming site already very close. So, I think the teamwork was better."

Producer Kim also revealed the reasons for recruiting each member. He said, "When I recall my childhood memories, I saw senior Choi Soo-jong a lot on TV variety shows, but at some point, I didn’t see him much. I saw his serious side in historical and traditional dramas. I clearly remember his funny side and wondered if I could see it again." He continued, "Kim Jun-ho, Defconn, and Lee Yong-jin actually taught me a lot. They showed me how to create funny situations, so I wanted to meet them," explaining that he recruited them based on his experience working with them on '1 Night 2 Days.'

Among the foreign members, Sam Hammington was remembered as a comedian. Producer Kim said, "He is famous as the father in 'Will Avengers,' and I thought about what he was like as a comedian before inviting him." Regarding Sam Okyere, he said, "As a Korean, I felt reflective because he loves our country so much. I remembered how he loved Korea to the extent of obtaining permanent residency and studying its history, so I was curious about how he would view Korea if we traveled together."

Bruno returned to Korea for the first time in 16 years and joined his first fixed variety show. Producer Kim, who happened to meet Bruno at a coffee shop, said, "It reminded me of memories I had watching him on TV when I was young. His travels around Korea were interesting, and when I heard he was visiting after 16 years, we talked and he was fun and pure. He wanted to try many experiences. I thought it would be fun to travel together."

Lastly, about Robin, he added, "He was born in the French countryside. When I heard about his childhood memories, he said he went camping with his father and ran around by the stream. I was excited to see if we could have fun together with this pure friend in Korea, so I decided to include him."

Meanwhile, 'Chinhan Entertainment' is a real variety show where foreigners who proudly love Korea more than anyone else and Koreans fiercely compete with one united heart. The 'Korean team' of Choi Soo-jong, Kim Jun-ho, Defconn, and Lee Yong-jin will compete against the 'foreign team' of Sam Hammington, Sam Okyere, Bruno, and Robin Deiana. It airs every Tuesday at 11 p.m.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.