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| Cast members of tvN's new show 'Miss Korea' pose during a press conference at Stanford Hotel in Seoul, Tuesday. / Courtesy of CJ ENM |
By Park Jin-hai
"I miss being in Korea. If you're asking me one thing (I miss the most), the number one thing is the food," said Mark Lippert, former U.S. Ambassador to Korea known for his love of Korea, in tvN's upcoming food show.
"There is nothing like Korean food. It's just amazing," said the former diplomat who returned to the U.S. after his four year tenure ended in 2017. His Washington home is decorated with jangdok, Korean jars, hangeul, and hanbok-wearing dolls.
In tvN's new show "Miss Korea," (a twist on "I Miss Korea") celebrities including Park Na-rae, Jo Se-ho and Han Go-eun, visit foreigners who miss their time in Korea and serve their favorite Korean foods in return for their stay.
Other guests on the show include Johnny McDowell, one of the first foreign basketball players who played in the Korean Basketball League in the late 1990s ― the sport's heyday in Korea.
"It's a 'Cook Stay' variety show. Celebrities will comfort those people with a warm heart and warm Korean food," says the show.
With the screens already crowded with so many food and travel shows with a similar format, "Miss Korea" brought in all requisite success factors for a show ― a cooking competition, foreigners, travel and a cast of stars.
Each story involves a guest and is expected to pull at viewers' heartstrings, while the cast members' process of preparing the food will give laughs.
In order to boost the Sunday evening slot, tvN tapped in producer Son Chang-woo, who produced travel show "Salty Tour."
As for concerns over its format being similar to other shows, Son said, "I can find the difference comes from our foreign guests and the stories they tell. The show was designed on the theme of nostalgia for Korea in the first place, and I thought that I could depict it in earnest and various ways. Food is just a medium for a story."
Interesting special guests who will also provide accommodation for Korean celebrities are a CEO who couldn't forget the taste of hong-eo, fermented stingray, and a Hollywood actor who wanted to introduce Korean food to his adopted daughter.
Han said, "The show is about 5 percent travel, 35 percent food and the other 60 percent comes from the meetings between people. Meeting with those who miss Korea meant a lot." The actress Han who immigrated to America and lived a difficult life there said, "I've learned a lot from meeting with them."
The show will premiere at 4: 40 p.m., Sunday.
