 |
| Singer Eun Ji-won, left, and comedian Lee Soo-geun. Courtesy of tvN |
By Dong Sun-hwa
Star TV producer Na Young-seok revealed Tuesday that he has been seeking ways to send singer Eun Ji-won and comedian Lee Soo-geun to Earth's natural satellite, the Moon.
He made a promise to do so in September on YouTube, saying: "The pair will head for the moon if our YouTube channel hits more than a million subscribers."
But the problem is the exorbitant cost. Na said the fare for the round trip would be 400 billion won ($341 million) per person. This makes his pledge nearly impossible. Many in the entertainment industry speculate that the television producer, who is well known for his sense of humor, may pull off a "moonshot" stunt that is closest to the space trip and earn a "pardon" from the public.
He and other staff members launched "Channel Fifteen Nights" ― previously known as "Channel NaNaNa ― in May. They mostly upload video clips from their ongoing entertainment program "New Journey to the West," featuring Eun and Lee, among others.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the channel has garnered 1.01 million subscribers.
"We appreciate everyone who has supported us to reach a million subscribers," the channel's official statement read. "We are currently searching for solutions from various angles to keep our pledge. The final outcome will be notified as soon as possible."
Na was behind the success of popular entertainment programs including "1 Night 2 Days" (2007-12) and "Grandpas Over Flowers" (2013-18). He is known to be the highest-paid producer in 2018, earning more than 4 billion won ($3.4 million). He has been working for entertainment giant CJ ENM since 2012.
