Actor explains fascination with military gear
By Kang Aa-young
Jung Chan
Actor Jung Chan, well-known for his rich yet sweet on-screen appearances, revealed his lesser-known expertise ― he's an enthusiast of military goods.
His unusual hobby has gained attention from the public as he is co-hosting the online History Digital Channel's reality show “Bulletproof Jacket” (BTJ) with war correspondent Ted Tae who covered the conflict in Iraq.
In the program, he tries to satisfy his fans' curiosity by testing military goods. In each episode, the hosts start with a given topic, such as “Are frying pans bulletproof?” or “Can a Bible stop a bullet?”
Due to the risks, each episode is taped following strict guidelines of military professionals.
Since airing its first episode on Sept. 23, three episodes have aired and drawn keen attention from audiences. The total YouTube views of the three episodes were 3.24 million as of Sunday.
“I have been working for major TV channels for over two decades,” Kang told reporters last week at a cafe in Anguk-dong, central Seoul.
“If TV programs featuring me reach viewer ratings of 30 percent or so, I can definitely say it is amazing. But I'm not sure if the figure is high enough for me to say my program is successful.”
Driven by curiosity, he said he had posted a video on YouTube six years ago based on his experience shooting a gun in the desert areas around Los Angeles. At that time, his video got merely 15,000 views in total.
In an interview to commemorate BTJ's 3.1 million views last week, he stayed humble, saying his past experience helped him a lot.
Jung grew up watching Western movies and was fascinated by military gear. He said he even wanted to become a professional marksman when he was a kid. His favorite movies include 1979's “Apocalypse Now” and 1986's “Platoon.”
His interest in military gear spurred him to study the history of war.
“By studying the history of war and shooting guns over 1,500 times in marksmanship classes, I realized guns are weapons that kill people,” he said.
He said following strict safety rules is a must.
“Our daily lives are already full of danger as it is. Safety should always come first,” Jung said.
On the sidelines, Jung said he hopes to invite K-pop boy band BTS to his show to secure more fans for his show through collaboration with the boy band.
His show gained more attention partly because of the similar acronym of his show BTJ and the superstar boy band BTS.
The online show can be viewed on History Digital Channel's YouTube, Naver and Facebook channels. It is a history-based cable TV network that reaches more than 330 million homes in 160 countries.
The weekly series airs Thursday at 5 p.m. and the subtitles will soon be added, upon many fans' request.
Jung, 47, made his public debut on the TV show “The Young Man” in 1995. He is famous for his charming characters. After taking the lead role in the TV show “Lovers,” he began to attract much media attention as “Mr. Right” among many female fans.
In the 1990s, he hosted several TV shows, including “Husband Oh Jak-du,” as head of a production company.
However, for many military enthusiasts here, he is better known for his in-depth knowledge of military gear. Many fans pick him as the top specialist in the entertainment industry when it comes to knowledge about military gear and military strategy and tactics.