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Key members of the hit reality-variety show "2 Days & 1 Night" are back together to star in a new reality show "New Journey to the West" that will premiere on Friday 10 a.m. on Korea's leading portal site Naver's tvcast.
The latest internet variety show is based on the Chinese ancient classic novel "Journey to the West," where the four entertainers _ Kang Ho-dong, Lee Seung-gi, Eun Ji-won and Lee Soo-guen _ travel to Xi'an in Shaanxi Province, China, with each playing a role of the novel's characters of the Pig Guy, the Master, the Monk Sha and the Monkey King.
"It is our first time to make internet content," said producer Na Young-suk during the press conference at 63 Convention, in Yeouido, Seoul, Tuesday. "I was eating dinner with Lee Seung-gi, who suggested traveling with our old friends (of 2 Days & 1 Night) and I thought it would be a lot of fun to share this with the viewers. However, because we are doing it for fun, the quality of the show might not be good enough to air on television. So, we choose to show it on the internet."
The new television show is garnering much attention not only because it is Na's new variety show, who has produced popular reality shows such as "Grandpas Over Flowers," "Three Meals a Day" and other spin-off series, but also because two of the primary members, Kang Ho-dong and Lee Soo-geun resigned from "2 Days & 1 Night" as Kang was reportedly accused of a tax evasion in 2011 and Lee was hit with illegal online sports gambling in 2013.
It has been five years since the celebrities and star director have reunited for a new internet show and they hope to make their way to large audiences once again.
"We naturally got together but we knew we were worried about Lee Soo-geun's comeback. However, we seek understanding as Lee has been our old colleague and the show will only be aired on the internet," Na said.
"New Journey to the West" will be aired in five episodes every week, each lasting only five to ten minutes. The director said that the digital variety show provides simple joy through short clips for people who are commuting or waiting for their lunch.
"Because we put our content on the internet, we are comparatively free from broadcast restrictions, such as indirect advertisement or maintaining the language we speak in the show. However, we didn't make the content any different just because we are using the internet. We do what we can do best on the show _ that is to make audiences laugh while watching our episodes," Na said.
The travel-themed online variety show's two official teasers have recorded 2.5 million views already since they were released online on Aug. 25 and Aug. 28. The show will also be available exclusively on Tencent's QQ.com for viewers in China from Sept. 4.
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