South Korea’s biggest comedy TV show returns after 3 years

"Gag Concert" (KBS)

National broadcaster KBS's flagship comedy TV show, "Gag Concert," is set to return after a hiatus of over three years.

"Gag Concert," which first aired in September 1999, ended its first season after 1,050 episodes in June 2020. It garnered much more popularity compared to its competitors such as cable channel tvN's "Comedy Big League" and "Saturday Night Live Korea."

Kim Sang-mi, head director of "Gag Concert," speaks during a press conference at KBS Annex in Seoul, Nov. 1. (Yonhap)

The second season of "Gag Concert" will reportedly focus on "less violent content" so that the audience doesn't feel uncomfortable.

"Unlike other comedy programs on YouTube or over-the-top services with 'aggressive' (violent) content, 'Gag Concert' aims for family-friendly content that parents and children can enjoy together. It will also help in reducing the generational gap (in Korean society)," said "Gag Concert" head director Kim Sang-mi during a press conference on Nov. 1.

According to Kim, three new acts will be included in the new season -- "Golden Kindergarten," "Screening Humanity with Nitung" and "What Do You Think About Girls Like Defconn."

The main plot of "Golden Kindergarten" revolves around two preschoolers, who are the only students at school due to the country's low birth rate. "Screening Humanity with Nitung" depicts conflicts between a daughter-in-law from the Philippines and her Korean mother-in-law. "What do you think about girls like Defconn" satirically depicts South Korea's blind date culture.

(From left) Comedians Park Hyeong-min, Kim Yeong-hee and Kim Ji-yeong perform scenes from "Screening Humanity with Nitung." (Yonhap)

"Screening Humanity with Nitung" features comedians Kim Ji-young and Park Hyeong-min, who have drawn attention on a YouTube channel with over 143,000 subscribers. Their YouTube channel, "FokCine," specializes in entertaining short-form clips.

Kim Won-hyo, 42, who first joined the program in 2005, didn't hide his love for "Gag Concert" ahead of the release of the show's new episodes.

"When I heard that 'Gag Concert' ended (three years ago), I had some resentment against KBS. However, I appreciate that KBS decided to reboot 'Gag Concert' and also invited me," Kim said. "I'm grateful for how KBS is still standing in its position."

The first episode of the second season of "Gag Concert," which will be the show's 1,051th episode, will be aired on KBS 2TV at 10:25 p.m. on Sunday.

By Hwang Joo-young(flylikekite@heraldcorp.com)