[Exclusive]Fabien, who came out as 'Nahonsan', lives in Korea for 20 years without me alone. Korea [★FULL Interview]

*This content was translated by AI.

• Fabien interview from France

"Community culture. I became an adult in Korea." (Fabien)

Fabien, 39, has been living in Korea for 19 years and is a representative "Korean foreigner." Fabien, who was born in France and was a Taekwondo player when he was young, was attracted to "K-culture" and first visited Korea in 2007. Eventually, he appeared in the drama East of Eden the following year, leading to his debut in the entertainment industry, and his trip to Korea became a life. Since then, Fabien has built a public profile with the MBC entertainment show "I Live Alone" in 2014. That year, he was so popular that he won the New Star of the Year Award for Best Teamwork at the '2014 MBC Broadcasting Entertainment Awards'.

However, Fabien established an unrivaled position by taking a different step from other foreign celebrities who debuted in Korea. Writing down an incredible history of not just the entertainment industry, but also exploring the entire K-culture. Fabien has been serving as a foreign guest commentator at the Korean History Museum for eight years, a commentator on Changdeokgung Palace, and a public relations ambassador at the National Institute of Cultural Heritage since last year. In 2022, he also acquired permanent residency with guaranteed life in Korea for the next 10 years.

In addition, Fabien challenged the "Korea Tourism Interpretation Guide Certificate" test, which is difficult during his one-year hiatus, and made him tongue-in-cheek with his unstoppable love of Korea, which he acquired with "perfect national history."

I met Fabien, who is more sincere about Korea than anyone else, at the Star News headquarters in Gwanghwamun, Seoul on the afternoon of the 9th. Even on this day when the rain poured out, the interview began with a small update that he would go to the museum for commentary activities. He was also a Korean who pointed out on the business card handed over by the reporter, saying, "It's a pure Korean name."

First of all, Fabien said of his hiatus, "I stopped my activities for about a year, but I spent time doing things that had been delayed and studying as a government interpreter guide. There are times when everyone needs a rest. I said, "Let's take a break," but I didn't know how long it would be. I took a longer break than I thought because I wanted to build up more knowledge this time. Studying was also fun," he said.

Why was it a "tourism interpreter guide" certificate. Fabien said, "I didn't know at first. I happened to hear that there was such a certificate, so I went to the bookstore and looked for an academic book. At that time, I just knew some national history, so I think I thought it would be 'fun' and complacent. However, the test is only once a year, and the first writing and the second interview are composed of four elements, and the difficulty is high. There were so many things I had to memorize. It was difficult, but I became curious. I thought there was nothing I hadn't done since I came to Korea and traveled here and there, but I've been living for nearly 20 years, but I wanted to approach you professionally because I still have a lot to learn."

Fabien, who recorded "hard work" (studied hard) and "full score" in the national history subject to severe turtle neck. He said, "I knew Korean history to some extent, but with this opportunity, I learned more deeply. I learned a lot and came to understand (Korean culture). In fact, I felt a lot of shame in the process of obtaining a certificate. Before that, I thought the knowledge was too shallow. I felt embarrassed and studied harder when I realized that it was a watermelon flirtation," he said humbly.

What is the charm of "Korean culture" that made Fabien so immersed in it. Fabien said, "Korean society is not easy. I often don't understand either. It's such a culture that you have to go deep to understand a lot of things. At first, it was amazing that it was a 'community culture'. Because it is hard to find a community culture in France. I don't think I usually do, but when I'm in trouble, it's surprising that I'm trying to pull together and do it. Looking at history, Korea suffered from numerous invasions, and nevertheless survived and came this far with unity. In addition, this community culture has the influence of mutually supportive agricultural life, and in the background, the spirit of the Hongik human being, "benefit the wide human world," has been inherited and engraved in modern people. Whenever I learn one by one like this, I understand 'this is why this is why' and I became very interested in Korean culture.

Fabien said, "Everything started with pure curiosity rather than a sense of duty. Thankfully, the accumulation of such studies gave me opportunities, but whenever I did, I felt lacking, so I focused on learning because I didn't want to lose to myself. I'm always working with a learning mind so that I don't get eliminated. We will continue to upgrade step by step in the future," he said confidently.

Now, he has revealed his extraordinary mindset as a "senior" line of the lineage of foreign celebrities. Fabien said, "Should I say I'm a foreign broadcaster, but there are many such friends these days, and I think it's a natural change as the status of Korean culture has increased. If I have to classify it, I think the first generation will be Lee Da-doshi, the second generation will be from "Missuda" (the chat of beauties), and I will be around 2.5 generations. When I first came to Korea, there were not many foreigners active. So, there was an atmosphere in which foreigners looked at Korean food with a fresh perspective of "Wow" when they enjoyed it, and were surprised that it was "Awesome" even if they spoke Korean well. But that's not enough for now. It's not fresh anymore now, so I have to update it all the time. So I'm trying to find something new in my field. Although it has become a life now, it is trying to look at (Korea) from the perspective of a stranger, and repeatedly trying to practice 'emptying' and filling. He also said, "I'm aware that what I think isn't always right, that it can be wrong."

However, Fabien's penetration into Korean traditional culture was not just to gain competitiveness as a broadcaster. He said, "I started the broadcast with such a good opportunity, and thankfully, there were people who came so far. I'm having fun, too, but that doesn't mean that I think of myself as a celebrity or have a big meaning. I started (the broadcast) as soon as I came to Korea, so it's true that I've done it with the most care for a long time, but I don't think I can define it as what kind of job it is. I've been an MC a lot, and I'm commenting on lectures in English, Korean, and French, and I'm doing a lot of different things. As a YouTuber, I have a lot of creator weight, and as I go back and forth, I can't tell you exactly what it is. Every day I go to the museum is fun and I enjoy learning Korean history," he said.

Still, he did not forget the great love he sent to "I Live Alone" and left a thank you message. Fabien said, "I was grateful that a man recognized me on the subway today, saying, 'Nice to meet you'. Since I showed a honest and simple young man in "I Live Alone," he treats me comfortably like a person I've known for a long time. In the same way, when I wake up in the morning, I make soup, and I think they liked this friendly appearance. If you invite me, of course, I want to go out again," he said.

How would it feel to look back on the past 20 years of living in Korea. Fabien said, "I came to Korea and became an adult. It's my first time in Korea to have a social experience that I've never had in France. In Korea, I learned all the joy and difficulties in life. Unlike France, the period of living in Korean society, where "we" is ahead of "me," is now more than half. I feel that the life I lived alone is fun and good, but the value of sharing and mixing as a community is also precious. Sometimes I had a few thoughts of wanting to leave and had a lot of hard times, but I think this would be the same even if I lived in France or another country. Relationships are difficult anyway, he said. "France is the country that made me born, but Korea has shifted its focus to Korea because it is the country that grew me up. Now I feel relieved," he said.

Finally, Fabien said, "As an ambassador for the National Institute of Cultural Heritage, I am planning more this year. In addition, he plans to obtain a certificate for a Korean tourism interpreter in Spanish this year and Japanese next year. I plan to continue to give lectures on cultural history and commentary on the museum. I'm always looking for new hobbies to strengthen the foundation of sustainable passion, and I'm also thinking of learning "Bookgado."

He then told his fans, "Thank you for your concern, and thank you for welcoming me as soon as I returned, even though you could have left without posting a new video for a long time. Thank you for all your sincere long comments. Since we changed the channel name to "Fabby Yangban" and started over with an upgraded appearance, we will post a lot of fun contents in the future. Please watch it a lot," he said.

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*This content was translated by AI.