Kim Gu-ra and Park Myung-soo to become matchmakers on dating show, 'Leader's Romance'

Comedians Park Myung-soo, left, and Kim Gu-ra pose for pictures during a media conference for the upcoming dating reality show, “Leader's Romance,” held in Jung-gu, central Seoul, Monday. Yonhap

By Lee Gyu-lee

Comedians Kim Gu-ra and Park Myung-soo will become matchmakers for eligible single women who are “too busy to date” in the new dating reality show, “Leader's Romance,” set to air July 5 on the newly launched network, iHQ.

The show invites single women who have built successful careers to go on a round of dates with five celebrity cast members: comedian Lee Sang-joon, actor Han Jung-soo, former volleyball player Kim Yo-han, singer Lee Dae-won and former baseball player Lee Dae-hyung.

Kim Gu-ra said that he chose to host this dating show because it had a new format that no other previous shows had.

“When I was offered the role, I felt that the show's format was very refreshing,” he said during a media conference for the show, held in Jung-gu, central Seoul, Monday. “It's hard for professionally successful women to date as they are often caught up at work, especially these days during the pandemic, when it has become more difficult to meet new people. And the premise of going on a date at each woman's workplace, with a 200-minute time limit, sounded interesting.”

As the celebrities go on blind dates while getting a glimpse of the single women's work lives, hosts Kim Gu-ra and Park, along with model and TV personality Han Hye-jin, monitor the dates to give them advice for successful matchmaking.

Park, who has been married for 13 years, said he chose to star on this show in order to use his experience to help the cast members find their true love.

“My life experienced a turning point after getting married. So I'm planning to give them tips on how you can meet and marry someone who will change your life,” he said.

“You never know when and how you will find someone to whom you might want to get married. And you might not know if he or she is the 'one.' So I'll coach the cast on whether the couples are the right fit for each other.”

The cast members, from left, former volleyball player Kim Yo-han, comedian Lee Sang-joon, actor Han Jung-soo, former baseball player Lee Dae-hyung and singer Lee Dae-won / Yonhap

Adding that he is having the most fun he has ever had recently, watching the cast members' blind dates, Park said that the show should also spark feelings of romance among the viewers.

“It's funny to see their reactions when the five men see a single woman for the first time. And as they have conversations with the person, it is so interesting how different the dates can go depending on each person's personality,” he said. “Watching them getting confused, shy and excited, reminded me of my old days, and will be something that many people can relate to.”

Although a successful match if often seen as resulting in marriage, Kim noted that it is not the ultimate goal of the show, adding that the show's intention was never to suggest that women must pursue marriage at any cost.

“Marriage is not mandatory, especially these days. Some people might be concerned that's the message the show implies,” he noted. “But, it takes a lot of sacrifice and understanding to succeed for both men and women. Thus, they tend not to have enough time on their hands to meet significant others and fall in love.”

He added that this show will help those people by giving them a chance to learn about romantic relationships.

Indeed, the cast members agreed that the show helped them to figure out their dating style, as well as the “dos and don'ts” of blind dates.

“I've done a lot of dating shows. But since starting this show, I have learned that I was bad at dating,” Lee Sang-joon said. “With other shows, I only saw the edited version of my dates. But with 'Leader's Romance,' the hosts and other cast members monitor them live… So even though I might have thought that a date went well, the others can see and tell me what went wrong and what I should have done.”