Anna Jiwon Park has been covering the politics at The Korea Times since the summer of 2024, when she joined the press pool for the Office of the President in Korea. Prior to that, she spent about five years reporting extensively on financial markets, regulatory authorities and the financial industry. She joined The Korea Times in 2019 after spending eight years as a broadcast journalist at Arirang TV, Korea’s leading global broadcaster, covering politics, defense and culture.
INTERVIEW Park Na-rae: 'Next hallyu? It's K-comedy!'
Comedian Park Na-rae performs during “Comedy Big League” rehearsal. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk
By Anna J. Park
'Hoping to see K-comedy globally thrive in near future'
By Anna J. Park
Park Na-rae, 33, is undeniably one of the most sought-after TV personalities in Korea.
Regularly appearing on popular TV shows including MBC's “I Live Alone,” MBC every1's “Video Star” and JTBC's “My Mad Beauty” among many others, she appears to be dominating the nation's TV screens.
Despite her extremely busy schedule, she has continued to take to the stage for the weekly comedy show tvN's “Comedy Big League” over the past several years.
In an exclusive interview with The Korea Times earlier this week, Park said she gets energy on stage while interacting with the audience, noting her roots in theatrical comedy. She made her TV debut in 2006 as a comedian.
“I feel a great joy on the comedy stage, as I receive an immediate, spontaneous response from the audience. The fact that I get feedback simultaneously from the audience makes me feel alive,” she said.
She also said she hopes to see “K-comedy” as the next big thing to inspire the world, following Korean dramas and K-pop.
"We now see hallyu, or the Korean Wave spreading all around the world, getting global popularity. K-pop made it. Korean TV series did it and lately K-beauty followed suit. But we do not often hear about K-comedy. Of course, it could be a lot harder to make people laugh in different cultures. But I do believe true comedy has a universal appeal,” she said.
“We have so much funny comedy material with so many talented comedians in the country. I hope more people pay attention to K-comedy,” she added.
The veteran comedian and TV personality also said she is a firm believer that laughter is an essential part of life, and Korean society should give more credit to its value.
"Now we live in a society where most people do not have to worry about their basic livelihood. I think now is the time that we put more emphasis on the value of laughter. It could be a cliche to say it, but I believe that the act of laughing makes people happy, not the other way around. Laughing makes people relieve stress and become happier,” she said with a big smile.
Comedian Park Na-rae at a tvN's “Comedy Big League” rehearsal, held at CJ E&M Center in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk