Shin Bong-seon sheds tears over mention of the late Jeon Yu-seong: "A true elder who cared for us with his heart"... Koo Bong-seo's 100th anniversary marks a 'legendary return' [14th Busan International Comedy Festival][Comprehensive]

*This content was translated by AI.

Asia's first and largest comedy festival, "Busan International Comedy Festival" (BICF), which began in 2013, returns for its 14th birthday with even richer entertainment.

On the afternoon of the 24th, a press conference for the 14th "Busan International Comedy Festival" (BICF, hereinafter "Buscofe") was held at Shocking K-Pop Center, World Cup North-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul. Attendees included the BICF Organizing Committee (Executive Chairman Kim Jun-ho, Deputy Executive Chairmen Choi Tae-woong and Cho Kwang-sik, Directors Kim Dae-hee and Sung Ha-muk, Programmer Jo Yun-ho), "Galgal-i Gag Concert: Galgal-i Family" members Park Jun-hyung, Park Seong-ho, and Im Hyuk-pil (three 13th-generation KBS comedians who debuted together), Seoul Comedy All-Stars (Kim Dong-ha, Song Ha-bin, Shin Seung-su, Kim Jong-chan, Park Jin-ju), Ongals (Jo Su-won, Chae Kyung-seon, Ha Bak, Lee Gyeong-seop), "Jeon Yu-seong Without Jeon Yu-seong Show" (Lee Hong-ryeol, Shin Bong-seon, Zoltan-Lee Jae-hyung, Han Hyun-min, Jung Jin-wook), and B-grade Hearing (Choi Seong-min, Nam Ho-yeon, Kim Seung-jin).

The 14th "Buscofe" will run for ten days from August 21 to August 30, starting with an opening performance at the BEXCO Auditorium on August 21. The opening of the evening performance at BEXCO Auditorium on August 21 at 7 p.m. will be kicked off by the long-running comedy program "Malja Show & Gag Concert Gala Show." Domestic drawing performance team Croquis Brothers and world-renowned French comedian Patrick Cottet Moine of "Mime de Rien" are also ready to hunt for belly laughs. Additionally, Ji Seok-jin will serve as the main MC, and band QWER will perform a congratulatory show to boost the atmosphere.

In addition, there will be a "Gag Concert" performance featuring popular segments from the show, and "Galgal-i Gag Concert: Return of the Legends," starring Park Jun-hyung, Shim Hyun-seop, Park Seong-ho, Im Hyuk-pil, Park Young-jin, Kim Ji-hye, Oh Ji-heon, Oh Jeong-tae, and Park Hwi-soon. Lee Hong-ryeol, Shin Bong-seon, Kim Sin-young, and Zoltan will appear in "Jeon Yu-seong Without Jeon Yu-seong Show," which carries the spirit of the late Jeon Yu-seong, who inspired countless junior comedians with creativity, honoring his achievements with laughter. Kim Hak-rae and Lee Yong-sik will present a "Grand Crazy Talk Show" to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Koo Bong-seo's birth. Furthermore, there are comedy performances that promise big summer night fun, including the fiery stand-up comedy show "Seoul Comedy All-Stars" featuring Song Ha-bin, Kim Dong-ha, Comikko, Danny Cho, Won So-yoon, Park Jin-ju, Kim Jong-chan, and Shin Seung-su, as well as "B-grade Hearing" by Choi Seong-min, Nam Ho-yeon, and Kim Seung-jin, who have 500,000 YouTube subscribers.

The "Conte Assembly" featuring Lee Jae-yul, Kang Hyun-seok, Yoo Desk (Gu Jeong-mo, Yu Young-woo), Dduksada W (Oddi, Woo Da-on), Ppangwon (Jeon Ye-won, Yang Hye-won), and Kkiri Kkiri (Joo Won-bin, Park Sang-a) aims to tickle the audience's funny bone. Additionally, Kwak Beom, Botta (Kim Won-sik, Jo Da-hyun), Yoo Desk (Gu Jeong-mo, Yu Young-woo), Heeukinzu (Shin Yun-seung, Park Min-seong), and Dduksada W (Oddi, Woo Da-on) will showcase their brilliant verbal skills through the "Mandam Assembly" performance. Also prepared are "Woo Seok-hoon Comedy Short Films," which provoke laughter without a single word, and performances by Ongals members Jo Su-won, Chae Kyung-seon, Ha Bak, and Lee Gyeong-seop.

Participation by overseas performance teams also draws attention. Preparing to captivate audiences are "Japan Nonverbal Live G Team," which delivers laughter that transcends language barriers; "Mime de Rien" by French comedian Patrick Cottet Moine, who has won over audiences worldwide; and the fantastic comedy magic concert "Double."

The closing performance on August 30, titled "I Am a Dog Singer," will feature Kim Dae-hee, Cho Hye-ryun, Lee Se-young, Yeonggi, Lee Ji-yo, Lee Bong-won, and members, decorating the final page of "Buscofe" with a stage full of passionate energy.

Kim Jun-ho said, "Our festival has reached its 14th edition. We have grown from elementary to middle school level. We hope this becomes a place where seniors and juniors communicate, reflect on our history, and share our values." Kim Jun-ho stated that the keyword for this year's "Buscofe" is "Return of the Legends," adding, "Colleagues from the golden age of 'Gag Concert,' including Galgal-i Concert, will perform. To commemorate the 100th anniversary of Teacher Koo Bong-seo's birth, seniors Kim Hak-rae and Lee Yong-sik will perform. We are also presenting 'Jeon Yu-seong Without Jeon Yu-seong Show.' I believed that without our seniors, we would not exist."

When asked about the most notable performance among many this year, writer Choi Tae-woong replied, "Among overseas performances, there is a mime show where they cover their nose with their lower lip. Please pay close attention to it."

Regarding the process of preparing "Jeon Yu-seong Without Jeon Yu-seong Show," Lee Hong-ryeol said, "Junior Kim Jun-ho, who has led this festival for 14 years, is truly amazing. It has been one year since Senior Jeon Yu-seong passed away. This show was created through the ideas of Shin Bong-seon and junior comedians. I received a call saying I had something to do, so I willingly participated."

He said, "We present 'Jeon Yu-seong Without Jeon Yu-seong Show' with the feeling of a pre-party. We also want to inform everyone about this one-year commemorative performance and show the influence Senior Jeon Yu-seong had on the entire comedy industry. He was someone who often changed perspectives, and I believe we were influenced by him whether we knew it or not. He was a person with a sense of mission to give laughter to citizens living hard lives. We promise a wonderful performance that day."

Shin Bong-seon explained, "Our team was initially formed by me, Kim Sin-young, and Zoltan. That relationship was with the students of Yeowon University who were under Senior Jeon Yu-seong. We also contacted Senior Lee Hong-ryeol, who had a close relationship with Senior Jeon Yu-seong. When we thought about how much Senior Jeon Yu-seong enjoyed our laughter, we wanted to hold a tribute show."

He added, "Senior Jeon Yu-seong carefully considered the things I casually overlooked while I was living in a theater troupe from my early 20s. Even though he had his own daughter, he seemed like an elder who cared for his students with his heart. When he passed away last year, I felt as if I had lost my father. Throughout the three days of the funeral when I sent off Senior Jeon Yu-seong, I realized how much of an elder he truly was. He gathered children at my age and taught them comedy, but honestly, I don't think I could do that. Although I cannot live like a teacher, I wanted to do something that would earn a little praise from that elder," revealing his tears. Shin Bong-seon continued, "Although Senior Jeon Yu-seong was such a great figure, we might forget him too quickly in the future. We wanted to create a good place to honor Senior Jeon Yu-seong going forward."

Park Jun-hyung of "Galgal-i" said, "We debuted in 1996, so this year marks our 30th anniversary. It is an honor to participate in 'Buscofe,' and I am grateful to Executive Chairman Kim Jun-ho." He added, "Among many public comedies, we plan to showcase the funniest ones this time."

Park Seong-ho said, "I told Jun-hyung that if he had bought the performance venue, he could have generated even more profit, but Jun-hyung replied, 'Since it allows juniors to give so much laughter, how much more valuable is that?' I was moved by his thinking, even though we are friends."

Im Hyuk-pil said, "It is an honor to perform well with my colleagues. I plan to showcase the sand art I am currently doing." Park Jun-hyung added, "We plan to present segments that were hits in the past by Shim Hyun-seop and Park Seong-ho, including performances with edited levels of explicit content."

The "B-grade Hearing" team said, "We also hold hearings for our audiences. We will present two types of hearing formats." The "All-Stars" team introduced themselves, saying, "In the past, there was only one comedy club, but many have emerged now. The genre we perform is 'stand-up comedy.'" Ongals stated, "We have also been debuting for 20 years now. This time, we plan to reinterpret our works in Busan and present them as a performance."

"Buscofe" now boasts an expanded global influence. The "Buscofe" side announced, "This year, 52 countries and 10 teams are participating. I realized that our Buscofe is being recognized overseas to this extent. The teams participating this time did not receive appearance fees but voluntarily expressed their desire to participate."

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*This content was translated by AI.