[Exclusive]'Choi Su-san' PD: "Yoo Se-yoon = A ruffian who dances the knife dance well.. Heo Kyung-hwan = A person of good character who must succeed" [Interview 2]

*This content was translated by AI.

PD Kim Myeong-yeop praised the members of 'Choi Su-san' until his mouth was dry.

PD Kim Myeong-yeop recently met with StarNews and shared details about the MBC variety program 'Choi Su-san'.

'Choi Su-san' is Korea's first survival mountain variety show featuring intense competition toward the summit through various missions set in the mountains. The production team behind 'Radio Star' and 'World Tour While Born' has come together. Yoo Se-yoon, who was a nominee for the Choi U-su-sang (수상) award at the '2025 MBC Entertainment Awards', along with fellow nominees Jang Dong-min, Boom, and Yang Se-hyung, are joined by 'the catfish' Heo Kyung-hwan as members.

'Choi Su-san' was originally scheduled for five episodes. It began broadcasting on May 3 and completed its pilot run by May 31. With a highly sensitive production team and cast, 'Choi Su-san' secured a 'golden LINE-up' and competed in the Sunday 6 p.m. prime time slot against KBS 2TV's '2 Days & 1 Night' and SBS's 'Running Man'.

'Choi Su-san' initially received disappointing viewership ratings of around 1-2% due to insufficient word-of-mouth within its short run, but it gathered a dedicated fanbase on YouTube and other platforms, leading to a confirmed extension of seven additional episodes. The show will continue from its sixth episode on the 28th through its twelfth episode on August 9.

'Choi Su-san' featured the members climbing mountains of varying difficulty levels, from familiar Achasan and Yongmabong to Mangwusan, Daedunsan, the rugged Geumgangsan, and the Jirisan Baemudong course. At the mid-mountain points, chefs Kouji, Imokase, and patissier Hwang Ji-oh made surprise appearances, presenting the members with a fantasy meal in a unique scene. Most importantly, in the variety world, the lineup of Yoo Se-yoon, Jang Dong-min, Boom, Yang Se-hyung, and Heo Kyung-hwan formed a 'caviar combination' that had never existed before, delivering Tikka-Taka chemistry that exceeded expectations.

'Choi Su-san' is a rare variety show with a format that breaks away from conventional methods, garnering even more anticipation for its extended episodes.

-How did the 'Choi Su-san' member combination come about during the planning process? Especially, Heo Kyung-hwan has received many love calls from your office since 'Radio Star'. In what way was he your type?

▶The members started as nominees for the Choi U (수상) award at the '2025 MBC Entertainment Awards' ceremony. Ha-ha, who was one of the nominees, could not join 'Choi Su-san' because he was appearing on 'Running Man' in the same time slot. We searched for a replacement for a month and ultimately cast (Heo) Kyung-hwan. He was of middle age among the five members, which allowed for a close, informal dynamic and revealed sides of them not seen elsewhere. Boom has been very close to Se-hyung for a long time, having gone hiking together. They were closer than I expected. Since the members were comfortable with each other, they enjoyed coming to the filming set. Kyung-hwan's comedy is exactly my taste. Even when called as a guest on 'Radio Star' at short notice, he appeared well about four times, making him someone I feel indebted to. Kyung-hwan is a person whose gratitude is known only to the production team, and I have believed since five years ago that he must succeed. He is someone I admire as if I were a fan.

-After filming together, what do you consider to be the strengths of each member: Yoo Se-yoon, Jang Dong-min, Boom, Yang Se-hyung, and Heo Kyung-hwan?

▶Yoo Se-yoon has been a very close friend since his time on 'Radio Star'. Because he knows well what he is good at and where he falls short, if we set up a stage suited to him, he performs better than anyone else, becoming 'a ruffian who dances the knife dance well'. Se-yoon's greatest strength is that he is the most trendy among the members. Recently, he even dances the Cortis dance during breaks. (Laughs) He is also smart and seems to be the most creative person. Jang Dong-min is like a CP. As a top player in survival games, he has a strong planner's mindset and asks us many questions. We also ask him for ideas. He speaks plainly and is truly smart, willing to step in as a player even if he gets criticized like 'Gura' on 'Radio Star'. Heo Kyung-hwan is truly a person without flaws. He contacts us frequently, has good character, and is very diligent. He is someone who must succeed. He has never refused or hesitated when asked to do something and has never lost his original intention. Boom is a very kind person and always contacts us after filming ends. He watches the broadcast and encourages us, saying, 'It's so fun.' He fulfills any request and offers many ideas, especially greeting elderly people well in the mountains. Yang Se-hyung picks up trash even when there are no cameras and carries the writers' bags well. He is one of the celebrities with good character I have seen.

-In your view, what were the unexpected chemistry moments or scenes that delivered more fun than expected among the members?

▶Boom and Kyung-hwan had great chemistry. Boom had not done outdoor variety before, but he surprisingly did well, and their bickering was fun. In terms of specific scenes, many viewers enjoyed the lung capacity soccer game, where we also achieved the highest viewership ratings.

-Since filming takes place in the mountains, pre-surveys and establishing a filming system must have been more difficult.

▶After watching last year's awards ceremony, I wondered what we could do with these members, and it turned out to be created more smoothly than expected. From episodes 1 to 5, our focus was on playing games in the mountains, so we prioritized finding mountains where games could be played. We viewed several hundred mountains in Korea and personally visited twenty of them, also securing cooperation from local governments. The final mountain locations were visited three times each: twice for pre-surveys and once for filming. The staff worked extremely hard moving equipment.

-Given how difficult the production process was, were there any production team members who dropped out midway?

▶Yes. One camera team dropped out, saying, 'We have filmed many times, but this is the first time it has been this difficult.' We re-coordinated and reintegrated them. Among the eight writers, three quit, but one returned when we changed the format this time. Spring, autumn, and winter were fine, but summer filming was difficult due to the weather. During the rainy season in summer, we considered trying a different format, and if the opportunity arises, we will continue to visit mountains.

-There were also opinions about featuring different guests each week. Is Im Woo-il the sixth member and a semi-regular?

▶Im Woo-il is also a person who is as grateful to us as Kyung-hwan. When I was on 'Radio Star', Gura and Se-yoon recommended him often, and he was a huge hit. His YouTube video 'In-gup-dong' (Rising Popular Video) ranked number one, and he became a lightning star. There is a possibility he will appear in future episodes of 'Choi Su-san'.

-To be continued in Interview 3

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*This content was translated by AI.