Director Jang Jin Returns to 'Radio Star' After 12 Years with Entertaining Stories

Director Jang Jin makes a delightful return to 'Radio Star' after 12 years, sharing behind-the-scenes stories from his show 'Crime Scene' and expressing his interest in variety show production. He humorously names the biggest attention-seeker among his Seoul Institute of the Arts alumni and shares rare footage from his cameo in 'Soonpoong Clinic,' raising anticipation.

The upcoming episode of MBC's 'Radio Star,' airing on Wednesday night, features Jang Jin, Kim Ji-hoon, Kim Kyung-ran, and Choi Ye-na in a special Chuseok episode titled 'All Senses Alive.'

Jang Jin is a regular player on the mystery variety show 'Crime Scene.' His unique approach of reconstructing cases from both a participant and creator's perspective is praised for enhancing the show's quality. He shares, "It's intriguing as a director and challenging as a participant," as he combines theatrical composition with character immersion while deducing the culprit each episode.

He reveals the reality of the 'Crime Scene' set, stating, "It takes 20 hours to shoot one episode," and adds humorously, "There's no rehearsal, but the set's living characters and spaces create tension. I go to the set like I'm visiting an amusement park. Filming 'Crime Scene' is my source of energy." He also shares an anecdote about being amazed by the set's scale, comparing it to the size of a real Han River bridge.

Having created numerous hits in film and theater, Jang Jin expresses his ambition in variety show production, humorously asking the 'Crime Scene' team to hire him as a writer, promising laughs.

Reflecting on his connections with Seoul Institute of the Arts alumni like Im Won-hee, Jung Jae-young, Ryu Seung-ryong, Shin Dong-yup, and Shin Ha-kyun, Jang Jin jokes, "I've lived off my college network," bringing laughter to the studio. He piques curiosity by naming the biggest 'attention-seeker' among them and sharing related anecdotes.

Jang Jin's 'rare variety show footage' is also revealed. When a clip of his 1998 cameo in the sitcom 'Soonpoong Clinic' is unexpectedly shown, he laughs awkwardly, saying, "I didn't know that scene still existed." The reveal of his catchphrase from the show reportedly had everyone in stitches.

Jang Jin's lively variety show talk, showcasing his passion as a director, writer, and participant, can be seen on 'Radio Star' airing Wednesday night at 10:30 PM.

Lee So-jung, Ten Asia Reporter forusojung@tenasia.co.kr