Nam Hee-seok "Advice to the late Song Hae, 'You are doing well'"

Nam Hee-seok, the new MC of Korea's longest-running entertainment program 'National Singing Contest', revealed his sense of duty and determination.

KBS 1TV's 'National Singing Contest' is the origin of the public participation audition program that has been held every Sunday for 44 years and is the best entertainment program in Korea. Starting with the 'Jindo-gun, Jeollanam-do episode' on the 31st (Sunday), Nam Hee-seok of 'Sunday's Hahoe Mask', who is newly in charge of Sundays, will take on the role of MC and continue the legacy of 'legendary MC' Song Hae.

First, Nam Hee-seok, who took over as the new MC of 'National Singing Contest', said, "I feel so honored. I will do my best to express the experiences I have had so far. Being an MC for 'National Singing Contest' is not just about doing one more program. I felt even more of the long-standing love for 'National Singing Contest' that people are looking at. I am excited to meet them in person every week. Also, 'National Singing Contest' is not a program for individual advancement, but a program strictly for local residents and citizens. “I think so,” he said, expressing his feelings and determination.

In fact, Nam Hee-seok has been consistently mentioned as a new MC candidate for 'National Singing Contest'. Regarding this, Nam Hee-seok said, "I heard that he was nominated once a few years ago. At the time, he wasn't selected, so I just thought, 'It's not me yet.' When the offer came this time, many thoughts came to my mind. Who will be the 'National Singing Contest'? I was worried because it was a difficult position to do, and because it was the position held by Kim Shin-young, a junior I cherish. So I spoke with Shin-young the next day. And when my first recording was over, Shin-young called me first, so we cheered each other on. Kim Shin-young was an MC who brought youthful energy. The production team said that the number of middle and high school students in the pre-trial increased after Kim Shin-young did it. In that respect, I think, 'She gave a very good energy.'"

In addition, Nam Hee-seok is also an avid fan of 'National Singing Contest', to the extent that he was known to have always hoped to become an MC for 'National Singing Contest'. Regarding this, Nam Hee-seok said, "I am of the generation that grew up with 'National Singing Contest'. Whenever I went to a local restaurant or bathhouse, 'National Singing Contest' was always played on Sundays. 'National Singing Contest' is basically laughter. I am a bus driver and I am excited. “He dances, and he is the owner of a soup restaurant, so he comes out and is very funny, and when I see people like that, I wonder, ‘How did they put up with it?’ I think ‘National Singing Contest’ is a program where interesting people appear and give pure laughter,” he said. It made me look forward to a sincere progress.

Nam Hee-seok also shared the reactions of those around him after taking on the role of MC for ‘National Singing Contest’. He said, "When the news about MC confirmation came out, it was my second daughter's high school entrance ceremony, and when it was over, there were over 500 text messages. I was surprised. I hadn't even told my family before that. My parents and wife responded like 'I see,' and my seniors There were many congratulations from my colleagues. Senior Kim Seong-hwan, Lee Yong-sik, Tae Jin-ah, Lee Gyeong-gyu, Yoo Jae-seok, etc. congratulated me. Senior Lee Gyeong-gyu congratulated me and advised me to ‘do it in your own style’ and asked me to come on ‘Lekeke Lee Gyeong-gyu’ and talk about it. He said, "I'm thinking of going out sometime in the future. I promised myself that I would never forget the support of my seniors and continue to serve them well."

Nam Hee-seok also revealed his relationship with the late Song Hae, saying, “I once had a drink with Mr. Song Hae. At that time, Mr. Song Hae gave me a drink and talked about various things, and he said, “Nam Hee-seok is doing well.” Those words are still in my heart. "It's deep," he said. "This time, for the purpose of monitoring, I carefully re-watched the 'National Singing Contest' from old to recent, and there was something that impressed me. It was that Teacher Song Hae, who is over 90, makes everyone from young children to grandmothers comfortable. It's like 'the standard of progress.' "I felt like I was studying '. I thought this was a level beyond the realm of progress technology. I will do my best not to tarnish my reputation as a teacher," he pledged once again.

Meanwhile, Nam Hee-seok completed his first MC debut through the on-site recording of 'Jeollanam-do Jindo-gun' on the 12th. When asked if he was satisfied with the first recording, Nam Hee-seok said, "I was satisfied with about 30%, and I think I need to fill in the rest. I think the next 6 to 10 weeks will be a time of adjusting, like setting the zero point in shooting. . What I was most grateful for was the Jindo residents. The grandmothers held my hand and said, 'Nam Hee-seok is here.' So I thought I would listen to their stories and make them laugh. It was a recording with encouragement and empathy in mind. “Teacher Song Hae always encouraged and sympathized with everyone. I thought I should inculcate encouragement and empathy toward others rather than through my own stories,” he said.

Along with this, "Actually, on the first recording day, we were rehearsing and it rained torrentially. We had to set up a rain tent. However, 30 minutes before we started recording, the sun rose like a lie, and the stage dried out and not a single drop of rain fell. I was so grateful. “I looked at the sky and shouted, ‘Teacher Song Hae! Thank you,’” he said, telling an impressive secret story.

Meanwhile, Nam Hee-seok participated in the Daejeon preliminary examination on the 28th and became the first MC to participate in the 'National Singing Contest' preliminary examination. In response, Nam Hee-seok said, "I told the production team that I wanted to participate in the preliminary examination. They were surprised. It would be difficult. I was the first MC in the 'National Singing Contest' to participate in the preliminary examination. Since I am not Song Hae's teacher, I quickly adapted and made contact with the local people. I told him that I thought it would be better to start with the pre-trial. So I participated in this Daejeon pre-trial, and a total of 319 teams participated. It was a very enjoyable party. Even after being rejected, I left smiling and applauding, and it was the 'National Song'. “I thought, ‘Where else can I be besides bragging?’ I also don’t do it often, but whenever I can, I want to visit and say hello,” he said.

In addition, “Teacher Song Hae said that he went to the area the day before recording and visited local bathhouses and restaurants. I also plan to go down the day before and have a meal at a famous soup restaurant in the area on days when I don’t have any other recordings. In Jindo-gun, where the first recording took place, "Afterwards, I had dinner with local people and left an autograph at a soup restaurant. I think it would also become a memory if 'National Singing Proud' Nam Hee-seok's autograph was left at the soup restaurant in each region I visited," he added.

Lastly, Nam Hee-seok pointed out his own differentiation and know-how as the MC of 'National Singing Contest' and said, "I think the best thing is to help the participants relax and feel comfortable as much as possible. The MC standing next to them during recording is in itself. Because it can be a burden, I stand next to the participants from the rehearsal to help them get used to the recording environment. In fact, it is not difficult for me. I think that is probably why they used me as the MC. Later, the seniors joked and laughed at me. They slap my partner on the back, and I finally feel like I've done my part. Also, 'National Singing Contest' is a program that travels from small to large places in our country. I've been to a lot of small islands while working on the program before. Also, I've been to a lot of small islands while participating in the program. "As I've done a lot of programs, the adults really welcomed me during this progress. In fact, I gained a lot of strength," he said, raising expectations.

Lastly, Nam Hee-seok said, "One thing I'm worried about recently is that the weather is so nice. Spring is coming exceptionally quickly. It's time to go out. Festivals in each region are also coming up. I'm worried that the viewership ratings will drop due to the holiday season. . I hope everyone has a spring outing and watches TV at home before 12 o'clock on Sunday. I'm worried about what will happen if the weather gets warmer early due to abnormal weather. I didn't know I would worry like this," he joked.

He then stated his goal, "I hope that it will be a program that I can go along with rather than setting any goals. My idea that the contestants and citizens, not me, are the main characters has not changed. I hope that it will be a program that the contestants and citizens can see and enjoy." Furthermore, "It's Sunday daytime, so there are a lot of places to go and things to see, but I hope you'll watch 'National Singing Contest' at 12:10 on Sunday. If you smile a lot, your hospital bills will be lower and it'll be good for your health. Everyone will have fun. Lots of natural laughter." “I will always do my best to ensure that you receive it. Thank you,” he said as a final word to existing and future listeners.

KBS 1TV's 'National Singing Contest' is broadcast every Sunday at 12:10 p.m., and the 'Jindo-gun, Jeollanam-do' episode, which will feature Nam Hee-seok's MC debut, is scheduled to be broadcast on the 31st (Sunday).

Kim Se-ah, Ten Asia reporter haesmik@tenasia.co.kr