1. He had two swords.
The sword, which was about 1 meter in length, was heavier than I expected, and I could feel the cool energy from the blue blade.
He showed me how to cut paper with that knife.
His sword handling skills were unusual.
He learned to cut a sword, but he had no use for it, so he sometimes joked that he would cut a watermelon or something, but this man's life was always a real sword battle.
Jumping off a parachute from thousands of meters above, jumping into the icy sea, and navigating the jungle was always risky.
In a world where what you do with your body is often disrespected, this person has opened your own path with all your body.
I met Kim Byung-man, a master who made me think about the value of working with my body.
2. My father was an introvert who barely spoke. There was no rest for a moment. He was diligent, but the more diligent he was, the more wretched poverty followed his family. When I was in the fifth grade of elementary school, my mother became ill, my eldest sister couldn't attend school properly and got a job in a factory. Families were scattered. Words such as poverty, debt, and poor peasants ruled this man for a long time. My mother was an optimistic and cheerful person even in difficult circumstances. He told his son not to bow his head even if it was difficult because of poverty. It seems that he inherited his mother's blood and became a celebrity, but it seems that more of his father's blood flows inside this person's body.
In a mountain village, these people were the only ones who didn't have a house of their own. My mother cried one day when she had to sell the house she had built with government support because of debt. Maybe it's because he's tired of moving from house to house because he doesn't have a single house, or he has a special interest in building a house and his own space. He built a wooden house himself, participated in the construction of a concrete house from start to finish, and attended the graduate school of architecture at Konkuk University. He said that if you add up the ones he built in the jungle, there are over 100 houses he built with his own hands.
When it comes to complex, he is a person with no limits. He was poor, did not study well, and was short enough to not serve in the military. His hometown of Hwasan-myeon, Wanju-gun, Jeollabuk-do was the last stop of buses coming from Jeonju, and the backcountry where buses run twice a day. Not to mention Seoul, Jeonju was a distant city. When I was in middle and high school in Myun, I was famous as a fighter, a witty, and a handyman. When he was fighting, he fought hard, and when he was funny, he made people fall out of their belly button. He was famous at school for his agility and wit, but he doesn't have many good memories of the school. During the nearly five-hour conversation, there were hardly any words to express gratitude to the school, especially the teachers. When I was in high school, I entered a vocational training center and after completing my internship, I got a job as a plumbing plumber at a small company in Jeonju, but I was literally unable to pay off the family debt, let alone interest, on a monthly salary.
“I didn’t graduate from a good university, and no matter how hard I tried, I didn’t go anywhere to receive a salary from a large corporation… At that time, our country house was about 120 million won in debt. ‘There’s no way I can do this. Let's do it.' That's why I chose this path."
In 1995, I came to Seoul with 300,000 won provided by my mother and the contact information of the acting school cut out from the newspaper. I was thinking of becoming a comedian like Bae Sam-ryong and Gu Bong-seo. I told my friend the day before I went to Seoul. "I'm going to Seoul, and if I don't succeed, I won't come back." I started with a determination that I would die rather than come back to my hometown, but life in Seoul was much tougher and harder than I thought.
3. There was almost nothing I didn't do until I became a comedian in the 17th KBS open recruitment in 2002. It was basic to work hard at the construction site, and I also worked as a junk clerk, newspaper delivery, and manager Kim Hyung-il. I did a part-time job whenever I could, but I didn't fall for the part-time job. He was wary that he might fall into the fun of making money and forget the way he was supposed to be a comedy actor. When I couldn't work with anyone, if I asked for money at my hometown, my mother sent me 10,000 won and 20,000 won. It was the money I received as a daily wage at the restaurant, and the money I borrowed because I complained to my neighbors. When I was eating a meal with ramyun blown out in a rented basement room, I cried and trembled with sadness and regret.
"I was eating ramen like crazy, and at some point the situation was so shabby... I suddenly cried out from deep inside my body, and when I was forcing it down my throat, my whole body was shaking."
When I didn't have money but I was desperate to drink, I picked up an empty bottle and drank it in exchange for soju. When you drink, you talk to yourself in the mirror.
"'Why are you so introverted? Do it with a little confidence. What are you looking at, man...' I talked to myself a lot like that.I don't think it's a bad thing to get drunk in moderation."
I lived as an unknown theater actor for 5 years. The memory of receiving a standing ovation from the audience at that time is vivid, and it is true that the memory made this person endure, but there were not many people who said 'Kim Byung-man is a genius' at that time. I don't consider myself a genius.
"It's true that you have talents that others don't, but I think it's slow to accept knowledge. It's slow, but it overtakes them later... That's why I like turtles."
I failed the comedian exam 7 times, the Seoul National University entrance exam 6 times, Baekje University of the Arts 3 times, and the airplane pilot exam 30 times. At this point, you are the master of fallout. The reason I failed so many auditions, interviews and exams was not because of stage dizziness or because my body stiffened when I had to show my skills. Could it be that he lacked the talents and talents necessary to become a celebrity? The image of an aspiring entertainer full of passion and ambition rather than talent came to mind for a moment on the face of this person who did not look like a person with a funny job. It was a difficult time when we had come too far to go back and there was no guarantee that we would become a celebrity if we kept going. He did not listen to his father telling him to stop dreaming and return to his hometown. There was no dialogue between father and son for a long time.
"I went to my hometown about once every two years. My father said, 'Stop it now, come down', but I was like, 'I won't talk to you until I succeed.' When you say 'Go up', the conversation is over."
When I became a comedian and bought land to build a house in my hometown, my father was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. He also passed away in 2011 without understanding that his son had succeeded because he was also suffering from alcoholic dementia. This man, who believes the comedian shouldn't cry for his work in public, also cried when he talked about his father.
4. For about 4 years from December 2007, the entertainment industry was the world of Gaecon, the world of masters, and the world of Kim Byung-man. In this corner, he played a master in 250 fields. At first, he naturally acted as a foolish master with his wit, but gradually showed the image of a real master. Even a person who has been trained in all kinds of martial arts such as Taekwondo, Kung Fu, and Hapkido has done what I wondered if such a thing would be possible. It's almost like I've shown everything my body can do. Corners such as 'Master of Ladder Climbing', 'Master of Ring' and 'Master of Tightrope Walk' were acting that could lead to a fatal accident so much that the subtitles 'Don't follow me' appeared on the screen. He said he was only doing as much as he could handle, but the people who saw it were sweating every time.
At that time, this person was not an actor but a 'laborer, a penitent person'. In an era when speech and writing controlled the world and hands and feet became like slaves of speech and writing, the existence of this man who worked entirely with his body was special. There were no lies or deceit in the acting of this person who used his body to make him laugh. I couldn't even hear the sound of shaving my hair. <Master> was a gag program that reminded me of the value of the body that was treated badly. In 2010, I heard that this person's acting was a social phenomenon and pioneered a new genre enough for a thesis to be published in <A Study on the Characteristics of Korean Slap Stick Comedy Through Characters - Focusing on Comedian Kim Byung-man>, but it does not seem to have received sufficient evaluation. .It seems that the old prejudice in our society about working with one's body is not related to the somewhat stingy evaluation of this person's acting.
I'm not the kind of person who happened to be a thunderbolt by luck.
There is no smoke without tears and sweat in this person's acting.
Some made use of their innate physical abilities, but others made others laugh by enduring hardships.
The desperation of not being able to survive without making others laugh made this person that way.
When most comedians impress and laugh with their wit and humor, and some with their innate looks, this person used their own body and sometimes abused their body, making others laugh and cry.
In 2011, he appeared in <Kiss & Cry>, which aired on SBS.
His performance wasn't perfect in this show, which featured him and ten other stars paired up to learn figure skating.
He fell and rolled on the ice, and even though he couldn't show the movements he practiced properly, he looked beautiful when he said his feelings in a trembling voice, covered in sweat and tears.
"I'm sorry. I barely slept yesterday. I made a mistake during rehearsal, but I also made a mistake in the main game. It's a pity that it's not as good as I practiced." <Kiss & Cry>
Due to the pain caused by the injury, when he heard the review, he couldn't stand at all and was kneeling.
It was a figure that only those who poured their all and waited for the results could show.
Not only Kim Yuna, who was in charge of the judgement, but many viewers wept because of this person's sincerity.
"Byungman Kim's greatest strength is challenge and hard work. He has flat feet, so it hurts when he wears skating shoes. Yet, he comes every night and practices to die. When he practices, he does it until he is half dead. So the other performers are also this person. After seeing the show, I thought we should work hard too, so that program did well.”
Jung Soon-young, director of <Kiss & Cry>
5. By Kim Byung-man, for Kim Byung-man, Kim Byung-man's pro is the law of the jungle.
Even when deciding who to go with, such as where to go, the thoughts of this person are reflected in a small amount.
When I go to the jungle scene, I am also involved in filming and production.
With a cast and crew of 40-50 people, this person is the de facto leader.
Since 2011, I have met various people from more than 40 countries on 46 occasions.
He wandered through places with deep traces of primitive and wild nature, such as the Amazon jungle, the Arctic tundra, the Himalayan snowfields, the African jungle, and the South Pacific islands.
It's not the only time I've crossed the brink of death.
I got lost in the tundra and wandered for two days, got kicked out by locals with knives, almost fell off a cliff in the dark of the night, and the boat tipped over and filming was interrupted.
There were times when he ate a wild grasshopper by mistake and was in an emergency because his airway was blocked.
<Law of the Jungle> has no script and no cue sheet.
Even with editing, there aren't many ways to hide or color the cast in the jungle.
So, the true nature of this person is revealed.
He seems like a leader who takes action rather than words, a person who takes the first step in the face of danger, and a person with a strong desire to become the protagonist.
Jumping from the sky and swimming in the sea is something that no one can imitate.
This appearance is the result of hard work honed over a long period of time.
Sometimes it seems like the embodiment of the desire to win.
For example, when Choo Seong-hoon appeared, the nervous battle between the two was worth seeing.
What makes this guy stand out on the show is that he's the most skilled, experienced and, above all, the most prepared person in the jungle.
“Byungman Kim has a very high standard for this program. So, he is really thorough. He risked his real life and invested all his time and effort to do this, but if some juniors show no motivation or do not work diligently, There are times when you ask yourself whether you came here to play."
Kim Jin-ho <Law of the Jungle> PD
Although he is a capable and experienced chieftain, he does not seem to be a friendly and generous leader with everyone. At times, it is fussy and sensitive. He himself did not deny that fact.
"When I go to the jungle, I always have to be nervous. There are times when I finished filming without any major problems, but because I saw and went through a really dangerous situation, I had no choice but to tell my fellow performers to be careful. I don't hear much about it. In the jungle, I feel like a distant father rather than a friendly mother, so sometimes I feel lonely."
He remembered the area he visited in detail and did not forget the appearance of the people he met. If a global perspective does not necessarily refer to cutting-edge knowledge and science, this person also has a global perspective as much as anyone else. He explained the difference between the world he visited and the world he lived in, using architectural blueprints as an example.
"How does it feel? When people in the backcountry say they make something without a blueprint, it feels like people in a civilized society are talking while looking at a very complex blueprint. Will this make the other person feel good or bad, or will it help me? It's about asking the price."
If you spend more than two weeks together in a primitive environment, of course, you will become friends. Sometimes I feel like a comrade in life and death, so I can make connections centered on the 'chief'. It seems that he is not good at pushing, pulling, and moving around in groups. I spent more time traveling abroad to learn something than spending time with people, and I met with the PD and staff more often than with the cast. I enjoy talking to them more about the program.
“My personality is not like this when I’m just playing around, and I don’t usually say ‘pour and drink’ at drinking parties. I'm on the side, so I don't do this when I go with someone, but sometimes I recommend going with this friend. Teams that have been to the same place get along well. I need hundreds of people to do that.”
6. All of them have four types of airplane piloting licenses, and recently obtained a commercial pilot's license, so now they can drive a 14-seater commercial airplane. With a few people, I save money to buy a plane that can be used for skydiving, and I fly with divers about once a month. If necessary, I plan to try for a jet pilot license. In three years, I took the exam thirty times. The practical exam was not difficult, but the written exam was always a problem. There was also the desire to overcome the academic complex and English complex.
"Someday someone will say, 'You don't know the practical skills, but the theory will be hard'. At that moment, I told myself, 'If you pass this flight test, it's not because you didn't study at school.' built it."
If it's the second thing to do with the body, it's a shame, but I've lived my life thinking that taking a test with my head and memorizing something is not suitable for my aptitude. To obtain a pilot's license, you must pass a written exam in five subjects. He said that the most difficult thing he had ever done was to get a pilot's license. I studied for more than ten hours a day for the test and memorized English words even on the plane returning home after filming abroad. It was something I never imagined when I was in school.
"English was the most hurdle. I put English words related to flight in a place I could see at home and memorized it unconditionally. When other students tried to take five subjects at once, I only took two subjects. Only one of the two subjects. That's what I was thinking. After doing this, I took the written test more than 30 times."
Not to mention money and time. It was a process of trying to prove on my own how far I could go. It was also a struggle to overcome the melancholy of the thought that it would be difficult to perform slapstick, which uses the body violently, after hurting the spine during skydiving training in 2017.
I was curious about new things, and when I learned something, I would immerse myself in it, and I would forget the pain of life. He spared no money, time, and passion to learn. It cost close to 100 million won just to get a commercial bundler license, and 60 million won to purchase four parachutes needed for skydiving. After filming for <Law of the Jungle>, it was almost a fixed procedure to go to the United States or Southeast Asia to receive skydiving and scuba diving training. There are very few hobbies to enjoy other than golf. I prepare with the thought that one day I will have something to write on a TV show. On my days off, I always go to learn something. More than thirty certifications. He knows almost everything that moves on the ground, including flying an airplane, and he has a beginner's certificate in figure skating. Not long ago, I got an air conditioner installer license and volunteered once a month for free.
“I constantly challenge the certification because I am satisfied with myself, but I want to leave it as a kind of proof. I want to show others that I have done this much later. "
It is a world that ridicules hard work. People who console young people by saying that your failure is not your fault, but someone else's fault, and society's fault are welcomed. Effort is now ridiculed as no-five power. The aesthetics of the tortoise, which say that if you walk step by step without stopping, you will reach your destination, it is like a fantasy or a nightmare. In such a world, the existence of this person seems heterogeneous. He is a person who has proven with his body that there is nothing that cannot be done by trying, and he is a person who has the right to say that. He said his favorite animal was a turtle. I ate everything in the jungle, but the tortoise didn't eat it. The name of the corporation was also given as <SKY TURTLE>, which means flying turtle.
-You said that you didn't succeed because you didn't put in that much effort. 'What's wrong with trying? look at me Saying, 'It's all because you don't give up and work hard' doesn't seem to fit with today's times. Isn't it a world where no matter how hard you try, you can't do it?
"I'm cautious about saying that right now. So when I meet young people, the most important thing is whether I really want to do it. Think carefully about whether I'm doing this because of a moment's curiosity or conscious of other people's opinions. … The specific recommendation is to travel alone a lot. I think that there is a lot to learn and feel through travel and the size of your dreams will grow. Of course, there is nothing to say when you say 'I don't have the money to travel', but I didn't inherit it from my parents. I crawled all the way here on my own.”
7. We talked a lot with the camera turned off.
We talked about our families, our friends and colleagues, and we talked about money.
As almost the only successful person from a poor family, the burden he had to bear, the conflicts, antagonisms, and betrayal that occurred in the process of sharing the fruits of success seemed to make it difficult for this person.
During the conversation, the word stress came up frequently.
I felt like a prisoner of stress.
The idea of being perfect became a habit, but the word 'compulsion' seemed more appropriate than the word 'habit'.
When I am at home, I open the refrigerator door more than 30 times a day.
suffer from insomnia and depression.
I can't sleep because I think a lot and worry a lot, and even if I fall asleep, I can't sleep deeply.
I thought he was a successful person and someone who enjoyed the fruits of success, but he didn't look like he was enjoying success.
-You said that you forget stress when you play extreme sports or go to the jungle to prepare food and build a house, but I wonder how strong the stress is.
“When I lie down, all kinds of thoughts come to me. But when I do extreme sports, I only think about it, so all my worries and worries disappear. Also, ten hours go by quickly if I focus on making something with a dangerous machine. I think it's a habit."
Skydiving was like a drug for this guy. I jumped from the sky 520 times. Then, I seriously injured my spine and I almost couldn't use my lower body for the rest of my life. The waist and legs are still not in perfect condition. Flexibility is about 50% of what it was before injury, and I always worry about injuries. This made me mentally depressed for a while. It was because of the thought that I would no longer be able to act in action, and that it was becoming difficult to properly do slapstick comedy that uses the body boldly. He said he overcame that depression by flying an airplane, but it remains to be seen whether he has overcome it completely. Now, he no longer jumps from the sky because of the promise he made with his agency.
-Did you see the video of the accident in which you fell? If I had that kind of crashing experience, I don't think I'd ever want to do it again...
"There's no such thing. I still want to do it every time I go. I can't do it right now, so I solve it by flying an airplane. But driving an airplane and flying are different. ."
I had the impression that he would do anything by himself, but it was somewhat surprising that this man had always depended on someone for a living.
"I think I feel very lonely because I came alone so far. So there were always people I depended on mentally. I talked to him about my heart and found stability. I'm busy too..." -Is it because of
anxiety?
“It seems to be a symptom of pursuing perfection… These days, I feel more anxious. I’ve been doing <Law of the Jungle> for 10 years, but I feel like I stopped because of Corona. "
It feels like his watch has stopped as his overseas travel is blocked due to the corona virus. After <Law of the Jungle> ended in May, I spend most of my time at Chilbongsan's workshop. He said this is the first time he has taken a break for more than a month since entering the entertainment industry. If you don't move your body, you feel anxious. He said this feeling of stagnation was hard to bear.
8. The meeting with this person took place on August 26th at a private office and workshop in Chilbongsan Mountain, Yangju-si, Gyeonggi-do. It is involved in the creation of a 120,000 pyeong jungle theme park. It's something I've been thinking about for 4 years. The plan is to build a house on a tree and a bridge between the trees to create a space where you can walk through the forest without stepping on the ground, so that you can experience various foreign cultures, including the jungle. He is also planning a cultural performance hall where he can see traditional performances from other countries, and is preparing a space where he can display the objects he has collected from abroad.
"I would not have thought of making something like this if I had not had jungle experience. I would have thought that I would grow a garden in front of my house and live like a natural person after I grew older and returned to farming, but now I am able to feel Southeast Asia in Korea or see a different world in my country. I want to create space.”
Talking about the jungle theme park, he talked a lot about his own space. The theme park business is not a project for him alone, but he said he wanted to have his own space in the theme park, and talked for a long time about a space where only he could relax. Clearly, he is a person with an extraordinary obsession with his own space. He said he didn't want to go back to the difficult days when he was young and wanted even small flowers to bloom for a long time.
- Do you think you've been rewarded enough? Or do you think the reward given is small compared to the sweat you shed?
"I don't think the reward I received is big or small. If there is any wind, I hope this reward will last forever. What I really don't want to go back to is the poverty I suffered from when I was young. It's good for you."
When I was living in a rooftop room, there was a golf driving range across the street. When I saw people practicing golf, I used to say to myself that they were good people who met their parents well. One day, about 10 years later, he said that he had a strange feeling when he found himself looking down at the rooftop while hitting the ball at the driving range. He said that he thought that my situation had changed so much and that I had also succeeded.
It's been a while since I've gone home. This person is probably the most famous among high school alumni, but he doesn't show his face at alma mater events or alumni gatherings. It seems that hometown is not a place he missed even in his dreams. It's a place you can't forget if you try to forget it, but it's not a place you want to go back to. It is a place where you raised yourself, but it is a place where memories of poverty, sadness and shame are stronger. In New Zealand, thousands of kilometers away, he and his acquaintances set up a small ranch and visit him often, but he rarely visits his hometown more than 200 kilometers away.
Although the chronic stage drowsiness has now disappeared, it remains to be seen whether the complex has been completely overcome. Self-esteem and entitlement are two sides of the same coin. The common testimony of acquaintances is that they have strong self-esteem and dislike showing weakness. I'm not insisting that I always stand in a place that shines, but I do not want a place that looks shabby. He requested that his name be removed from the nominations for the 2020 SBS Entertainment Awards. There is no chance of winning an award, but it means that I don't want to just post my name.
I didn't feel like meeting a popular comedian. It was a pleasant conversation, but it wasn't a place for bursts of laughter. His eyes were exceptionally large, but they were not those of a pure-hearted boy. It was soft when he smiled, but his eyes looked rough when he opened his eyes. He said that he no longer has the dream of making a comedy with 100% of his own thoughts, although it is possible to act with eyes shaking with anxiety, and his eyes are natural to tremble and bring out the laughter of the audience.
He seemed like someone who had a lot to protect. When you say that you are careful about using your body, when you say you want it to go on as it is now, when you tell a long story about your own space, I got that feeling at first glance, but after seeing this person's upper body, I changed my mind. Abdomen was firm. He said he didn't go to the gym. It was said that the muscles were minced by shoveling, hammering, and hoeing. If you don't use your body and don't sweat, you'll get sick, so you won't get fat on your body. Born in 1975, it seems too early to talk about keeping. This person who flew from the sky and gave himself up in the air, smiling brightly, cannot forget his challenge instinct, and if so, it is unlikely to stop there. It is also the expectation that people who have supported this person since they were masters have of this person.
<This interview last August 26 yangmanhui editorial and two from Mr. Kim Byung-man private office in Gyeonggi Province Yangju: was conducted in one bold type>
※ interview full video with Kim Byung-man said today (4th) 20:40 , will be released for the first time on the SBS News YouTube channel.