SK Stoa 'What to Eat These Days'
Surpasses 10 Billion KRW in Sales After 9 Months
Comedian Kim Jae-woo with 2 Million Followers
Various Parodies with Show Hosts
Vibrant Video Production in Recorded Broadcasts
Unique Fun Popular Among 2030 Generation
On the 20th, comedian Kim Jae-woo (center) and show hosts Yoo Jae-yeon (left) and Kim Seo-ran are posing at the SK Store headquarters in Mapo-gu, Seoul.
Comedian Kim Jae-woo (center) and show hosts Yoo Jae-yeon (left) and Kim Seo-ran are parodying the mixed-gender project group 'SSAK3,' composed of broadcaster Yoo Jae-suk, singer Lee Hyori, and Rain, on the show 'What Should We Eat These Days.'
[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] Comedian Kim Jae-woo, surrounded by squid, peeks out and tearfully says, "The thing next to me is squid, not me." At first glance, it looks like a variety show, but it is a home shopping program.
SK Stoa's ‘What to Eat These Days’ is gaining attention for its entertainment value that goes beyond typical variety shows. Comedian Kim Jae-woo's skits, makeup, and dazzling video production have spread by word of mouth, breaking into the 2030 demographic from the home shopping audience traditionally dominated by women in their 50s and 60s. Launched in April, ‘What to Eat These Days’ surpassed 10 billion KRW in sales within nine months, fueled by the purchasing power of the younger generation.
Kim Jae-woo, the Trendy Man with 2 Million Followers
On the 20th, Kim Jae-woo, whom we met at SK Stoa in Mapo-gu, Seoul, said, "The show is so fun that I look forward to it every day," adding jokingly, "My biggest concern these days is that hair loss has started, so I can't wear a wig on the show."
The biggest fun of ‘What to Eat These Days’ lies in the skits performed by Kim Jae-woo and the two show hosts, Yoo Jae-yeon and Kim Seo-ran, during the opening. Dance and singing are basic, and sometimes they present various parodies of movies, variety shows, and more, showing a different side each episode. Kim said, "The production team's excessive passion for coming up with fun ideas actually helped a lot," adding, "We mostly set a big framework and improvise on site."
PD Lee Hyun-chul, who planned the program, explained, "We had in mind a caring yet funny character, and the fact that he has an SNS fandom with over 2 million Instagram followers fits well with the program."
Although the concept is ‘mukbang (eating broadcast),’ it differs from other shows. Instead of cooking experts, it focuses on showing the natural scenes of ordinary households. Kim said, "I can never beat mukbang specialists like comedians Moon Se-yoon and Kim Jun-hyun just by eating," adding, "I mainly express that even someone like me, who has no cooking talent, can make and eat food easily and quickly." A distinctive feature is that Kim shows himself making the products at his own home during the broadcast.
On the 20th, at the SK Store headquarters in Mapo-gu, Seoul, Kim Jae-woo (right) and show host Yoo Jae-yeon are explaining about 'What to Eat These Days' through an interview.
Popular Direction Highlighting the Advantages of Pre-recording
Unlike live home shopping, ‘What to Eat These Days’ is pre-recorded. Thanks to this, it includes elements not seen in traditional home shopping, such as adding slow motion and decorating the background of the cast with computer graphics (CG), which has made it popular.
Great care is also taken in product selection. Last year, it became the first home shopping to sell Spanish purebred Bellota grade ‘Iberico (pork).’ This year, it sold unique Chinese dishes like ‘Chef Yeo Kyung-rae’s Chili Shrimp and Menbosha,’ and there have been requests to prepare more unusual products.
Marking its first anniversary in April, the goal of ‘What to Eat These Days’ is to create a new image as a ‘young home shopping.’ Kim said, "We want to show our unique presence that the products introduced by What to Eat These Days are something special and different," adding, "I feel rewarded by the positive responses from young people, such as ‘I burst out laughing watching the oppa parody and suddenly found myself placing an order.’"
On the 20th, comedian Kim Jae-woo and the production team of 'What to Eat These Days' are posing together at the SK Store headquarters in Mapo-gu, Seoul.
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