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'The Community 2': Trading for Survival Expands Beyond Politics into Economy and Diplomacy [Comprehensive]

Updated:

Choi Hyejin

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Seung-woo's dad (from left), Lee Jae-yong, Park Se-seung, Shin Hye-won, Lee Su-min, Lee Ji-na, Jung Jae-ho /Photo=Wave
Seung-woo's dad (from left), Lee Jae-yong, Park Se-seung, Shin Hye-won, Lee Su-min, Lee Ji-na, Jung Jae-ho /Photo=Wave

'The Community 2: The Invisible Hand' returns as a social experiment survival show that expands its scope beyond political science into economics and diplomacy.

On the 3rd, a press conference for Wave's variety program 'The Community 2: The Invisible Hand' (hereinafter 'The Community 2') was held online. Attendees included PD Kwon Seong-min, PD Lee Ji-hoon, PD Kim Jeong-hun, and cast members Park Se-seung, Shin Hye-won, Lee Jae-yong, Seung-woo's dad, Lee Ji-na, Lee Su-min, and Jung Jae-ho.

'The Community 2' is a social experiment survival show where participants holding different resources must survive solely through trading, with their lives and cash prizes on the line. While Season 1, 'Sasang Geumjeong-gu: The Community,' depicted clashes of ideologies and values, this season features continuous trades for survival.

PD Kwon Seong-min shared his thoughts on returning for Season 2. PD Kwon said, "I am so happy to be able to do it again." He added, "Season 1 started when no one knew about us; people watched and thought, 'This is fun.' But now that they expect Season 2 to be fun, I feel a bit burdened."

When asked about the differences from Season 1, PD Kwon noted, "The identity as a humanities and social sciences survival show remains intact. While Season 1 primarily focused on political science, Season 2 includes many concepts such as economics, international politics, and diplomacy. Viewers may also feel like they are revisiting scenes from history."

PD Kwon further explained, "Season 1 was a story about people who would never meet coming together within one community to reach agreements and build systems. This is something needed even in real society. In Season 2, there are multiple such communities. Even if common agreements are reached, they lack enforcement power or binding force. This program allows viewers to see what form such politics may take."

Seung-woo's dad (left), Lee Jae-yong / Photo=Wave
Seung-woo's dad (left), Lee Jae-yong / Photo=Wave
Jung Jae-ho / Photo=Wave
Jung Jae-ho / Photo=Wave

Cast members shared the backgrounds of their participation. Park Se-seung said, "I watched Season 1 so deeply that I consider it my own life survival show. Being invited was an honor in itself. Since Season 2 focuses on trading and negotiation, I joined with the expectation that I might be able to shine as well."

Shin Hye-won stated, "As someone who hosts political current affairs programs, when I received the invitation, I wondered if they were trying to send me into ruin. However, I was persuaded by the fact that Season 2 has a different identity." She continued, "Having worked as a journalist for over ten years, my profession has become part of my identity. I also had a challenge to show the unfiltered face of Shin Hye-won."

Seung-woo's dad said, "I am very curious and enjoy survival shows, so I wanted to experience it firsthand." He added, "As someone who creates content, even on a small scale, I wanted to see how it would be made, so I threw myself into it."

Lee Jae-yong explained, "Who the production team was important. After Season 1, the PD wrote a book. Reading it, I thought it could be both fun and meaningful." He continued, "I also asked the PD whether they would do 'devilish editing,' but they said they don't like that. So I joined with trust."

Jung Jae-ho revealed, "I was invited during Season 1 as well. We talked for over two hours then, and I felt interested and wanted to participate, but couldn't due to scheduling conflicts. However, since Season 1 was so fun, I thought if I got a chance for Season 2, I absolutely had to join."

Mentioning his appearance on Channel A's 'Heart Signal 2,' he emphasized, "I also appeared in Season 2 of 'Heart Signal.' When invited for Season 1 then, I didn't join but came back for Season 2. This time, I'm appearing in Season 2 again. I like breaking the jinx that 'the second installment cannot surpass the first.' Just like last time, I hope to break it again this time."

Shin Hye-won (left), Park Se-seung / Photo=Wave
Shin Hye-won (left), Park Se-seung / Photo=Wave
Lee Su-min (left), Lee Ji-na / Photo=Wave
Lee Su-min (left), Lee Ji-na / Photo=Wave

The only returning cast member, Lee Ji-na, said, "First of all, I have a good personality. So I forget bad things well and keep only good memories. It seems like only the good memories were idealized and remained." She added, "It felt like touring around and then returning home. Also, this season's theme is economics. Since I am an expert in economics, I thought there might be more I can contribute."

Lee Ji-na further added, "During Season 1, I had many nicknames such as 'Vase of Desires' and 'Peking Duck.' I felt unjust because I didn't show desires during Season 1. Feeling wronged, I returned with the intention to truly embody the 'Vase of Desires' by appearing in a darker role."

Lee Su-min said, "I wondered if the invitation had come to the wrong person. It seemed like it would be fun for a survival show addict seeking dopamine." She continued, "Having been an actress for a long time, I developed a habit of scrutinizing others. Whether this habit became an advantage or disadvantage, I am not sure myself."

She further explained, "When thinking about what I could do well, everyone thought I would be good at lying. In reality, I was indeed good at it. Rather than being able to detect lies well in others, I lived by suspecting everyone around me. I operated with the underlying assumption that 'it might be a lie.'"

Seung-woo's dad (from left), Lee Jae-yong, Park Se-seung, Shin Hye-won, PD Kim Jeong-hun, PD Kwon Seong-min, PD Lee Ji-hoon, Lee Su-min, Lee Ji-na, Jung Jae-ho / Photo=Wave
Seung-woo's dad (from left), Lee Jae-yong, Park Se-seung, Shin Hye-won, PD Kim Jeong-hun, PD Kwon Seong-min, PD Lee Ji-hoon, Lee Su-min, Lee Ji-na, Jung Jae-ho / Photo=Wave

The production team revealed the key points emphasized during game design.

PD Lee Ji-hoon said, "When designing the game, we focused on adjusting difficulty and balancing it. The game results directly affected daily trading and survival. We adjusted accordingly so that cast members could perform well." He added, "Since this is a humanities survival show, we tried to incorporate everything that can be covered in humanities into the game."

PD Kim Jeong-hun stated, "This program features two types of games: a quiz show expected from humanities and a crucial game involving trading and negotiation that runs through the entire program. How we set up the initial conditions there was important."

Meanwhile, 'The Community 2' will be first released at 11 a.m. on the 4th.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original

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