Funny basketballer dominates Wednesday night TV
Seo Jang-hoon from "Radio Star" on Wednesday / Screen capture from YouTube
Basketballer-turned-TV personality Seo Jang-hoon, who appeared on MBC entertainment program
“Radio Star” on Wednesday night, has again showed he can rule a show not just with his 207-centimeter height, but with his jokes.
Seo kept expressing discomfort at being jibed at by one of the show’s hosts, Kim Gu-ra. The two are known to be friends, but on the show they have a dog-and-cat relationship, making fun of each other based on their personal relationship.
Some media reports said the pair showed wonderful chemistry.
Even when Kim mentioned Seo’s divorced wife a -- former TV announcer Oh Jung-yeon -- Seo, 41, managed to turn the matter into a source of laughter.
Seo and Kim now work together on three TV programs, including MBC’s “Three Wheels.”
Seo from video ad for satellite broadcasting provider KT Skylife / Screen capture from YouTube
The rising star’s transition from his basketball heydays to show business has so far proved successful.
After playing center for the Yonsei University basketball team from the early 1990s until retiring from a pro career with Busan KT Sonic in 2013, Seo began to make his way on TV variety shows.
He is now being considered to be following in the footsteps of Kang Ho-dong, the former traditional Korean wrestling champion who debuted as a comedian in 1993 and is now one of the nation’s most influential celebrities.
“When he began making frequent appearances on TV entertainment shows earlier this year, he used to deny he was an entertainer,” a media report said about Seo, managed by MYSTIC Entertainment.
“But now he has got his grounding as a TV personality. He makes people laugh with comments that are as witty as those made by veteran entertainers.”