Exploring the Hidden Stories of Roads: Channel A's 'Era of Construction' with Jang Yoon-jung

'Queen of Events' Jang Yoon-jung shares her experiences on the Gyeongbu Expressway in Channel A's 'Era of Construction'.

Airing on November 5 at 11 AM, Channel A's 'Era of Construction' returns with its second episode, focusing on the theme of 'roads'.

In this episode, hosts Do Kyung-wan, pop columnist Kim Tae-hoon, construction communicator Shin Won-sang, and actor Baek Sung-hyun delve into the fascinating construction stories hidden within roads.

From roads to tunnels, and even underwater and underground paths, the history and figures behind these everyday routes are explored. The episode highlights the Gyeongbu Expressway, which Jang Yoon-jung, wife of host Do Kyung-wan, describes as a place where she spent half her life. Known as the 'Queen of Events', Jang has previously revealed that a single event's earnings could equal the price of a mid-sized car. She also mentioned on a show that she replaced her van every two years, having gone through seven vehicles.

The Gyeongbu Expressway, which Jang frequently traveled, was once the largest civil engineering project in Korea, consuming about 20% of the national budget. Baek Sung-hyun expresses amazement at the highway's role in the 'great migration' during holidays.

The episode also introduces international stories, such as the surprising fact that French artist Paul Gauguin worked as a laborer on the Panama Canal. Kim Tae-hoon speculates that if the construction conditions had been better, it might have changed the destinies of artists like Gauguin and Van Gogh.

Additionally, the episode covers the construction of the Corinth Canal in Greece, a project that took 2,500 years to complete. It explores how this ancient dream of emperors was finally realized in modern times, highlighting the grandeur of construction.

Other intriguing topics include why the U.S., prone to natural disasters, continues to build wooden houses susceptible to tornadoes, and a futuristic project to build a massive underground city beneath Seoul's Yeongdong-daero.

The producers promise that the episode will reveal how the roads we walk daily have transformed culture, history, and even the lives of artists. They assure viewers that they will discover new stories on familiar paths after watching the show.

Channel A's 'Era of Construction' episode 2 airs on November 5 at 11 AM.

Kim Ji-won, TenAsia Reporter bella@tenasia.co.kr