"'I Will Make You Laugh Out Loud on Bbangsongguk' Gwak Beom & Lee Chang-ho Reveal the Secret to 'Laughter Hunting' [Han Seung-gon's Culture Notebook]"

Gag Concert Alumni Kwak Beom & Lee Chang-ho Burst into Laughter on YouTube's 'Bbangsongguk' After Gag Concert Cancellation
Impression Master Kwak Beom's 'Lee Kyung-young' "Proceed" Catchphrase
Future Strategy Office Head Lee Taek-jo and Others' 'Bucaek' Popularity Lee Chang-ho
"Just Thankful Every Day" Bbangsongguk Reaches 110,000 Subscribers... Late Blooming Popularity Surge

Comedians Kwak Beom (left) and Lee Chang-ho (right) are being interviewed by Asia Economy. / Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] Lee Chang-ho, Head of Future Strategy Office. "Proceed" Kwak Beom. If you search for these two names on YouTube, you can easily find numerous videos with high view counts and comments like "This is really funny." For comedians, being called "funny" is high praise, but in fact, these two comedians have been relatively unknown figures until now.

They are KBS 27th generation (Kwak Beom/debuted in 2006) and 29th generation (Lee Chang-ho/debuted in 2014) recruited comedians who always appeared on Gag Concert, but their names were not as well known as they are now. It can be seen as a belated prime.

What is the reason? Many fans say things like "Wasn't Gag Concert unable to properly nurture them?", "What if it weren't for YouTube?", and "The abolition of Gag Concert was actually an opportunity for truly funny comedians."

Proving the popularity of these fans, the YouTube channel `Bbangsongguk` created by Kwak Beom and Lee Chang-ho (hereafter titles omitted) in May last year surpassed 110,000 subscribers as of the 4th.

According to the two, the initial subscriber goal was only 10,000. However, subscribers are increasing day by day, and Kwak Beom's catchphrase "Proceed," Lee Chang-ho's `Strategy Director` (a secondary character/comedic persona different from Lee Chang-ho himself, a kind of comedy genre called `bukae` for short), `Lee Taek-jo`, and so on, their popularity is growing every day. We met them at the Asia Economy building to hear in-depth stories about their current popularity and the reality of Korean comedy. The following is a Q&A.

Comedians Lee Chang-ho (left) and Kwak Beom (right) are being interviewed at a restaurant. Photo by Han Seung-gon hsg@asiae.co.kr

- Do you feel the current popularity? YouTube is really booming.

▲Lee Chang-ho (hereafter Lee): I am truly grateful and somewhat feeling it (laughs).

▲Kwak Beom (hereafter Kwak): I only trust the `Chang-nim` (a refined expression by Kwak Beom, likening comedian Lee Chang-ho’s popularity to a god) sitting next to me. Chang-nim. Our Chang-nim. Thank you so very much. Also, Chang-nim shyly told me it feels like "walking in the sky." Really, thank you to all the fans and everyone who loves comedy.

- When did you start dreaming of becoming comedians? For example, were you a "laughter hunter" type of student during school days?

▲Kwak: I will brag a little. At each high school festival, there was one MC per grade, but I went beyond grades and hosted the entire event. That's all for bragging.

▲Lee: Kwak Beom was really good at hosting back then, and I think it was even funnier than now (laughs).

- You two are a duo and seem to be very good at banter.

▲Lee: Our performances are mainly banter. Banter started in Korean marketplaces and is a unique cultural form we want to promote widely.

▲Kwak: It seems banter comedy has somewhat disappeared nowadays. Our seniors used to do banter comedy very entertainingly, but now skit-based comedy is popular, so banter has lost its place. We want to revive and perform banter again.

Lee Chang-ho's alter ego, the Head of the Future Strategy Headquarters, is fending off an assailant. Photo by Pisik University Capture

- I see. With such explosive popularity, we cannot avoid talking about Gag Concert. Many ask, "Why didn't we see such gems back then?" Do you think there were structural problems with Gag Concert?

▲Kwak: On YouTube, you get immediate feedback and can revise and improve content quickly, but since Gag Concert was a broadcast, that process was somewhat weak.

▲Lee: Maybe it was a transitional period. Since it was a public broadcaster, comedy should have been a free domain, but there were some limitations. In that situation, comedians including us are quenching our thirst a lot through YouTube.

- The performance stages disappeared due to COVID-19. Was it very difficult?

▲Lee: It’s a bit disappointing not having an audience in front of us. But I am grateful to be able to interact through `Bbangsongguk` like this.

- Let's talk about Bbangsongguk. Among the content, "Scenes that always appear in movies" seems like improvisational comedy. Is there any guideline?

▲Kwak: The guidelines are very vague. Our comedy idea meetings are not rigid but casual conversations.

▲Lee: We have performed a lot and prepared many items, so we meet and brainstorm while having fun.

▲Kwak: Also, since we have been together for a long time, our comedy tastes have become similar, creating synergy. When we performed, our business cards had Kwak Beom Lee Chang-ho and Lee Chang-ho Kwak Beom on front and back. I was the CEO, and Lee Chang-ho was the Strategy Planning Director. But with YouTube, the situation completely changed. Now he is really the older brother, and I am just the younger brother (laughs).

Comedians Kwak Beom (left) and Lee Chang-ho (right) are being interviewed by Asia Economy. / Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

- You have great trust and faith in each other. A mischievous question: Who do you think is more popular, Lee Chang-ho or Kwak Beom?

▲Kwak: I live by eating only the crumbs of snacks that Chang-nim drops while walking. That alone satisfies me.

▲Lee: Can this part be deleted from the article? It seems like they are trying to send me away...

▲Kwak: Please make sure to include this in the article. The vest Lee Chang-ho is wearing was bought by me.

▲Lee: Yes, that’s true. I have been wearing it for four years.

▲Kwak: Everyone, as a human being Kwak Beom, I am very, very happy just living by picking up the crumbs dropped by Chang-nim with my pinky finger.

- You really seem like a legendary comedy duo in Korea. Are you currently living together? Your chemistry is amazing. What was your most recent brilliant idea?

▲Lee: We do not interfere with each other’s personal lives. We respect that part (laughs).

▲Kwak: Recently, Chang-ho suddenly sent an idea at midnight. He sent a KakaoTalk message saying "Alien Torture Content."

- Alien torture content?

▲Kwak: Yes, so I asked "What is this?" and he said, "When Apple or Samsung releases a new smartphone, they say it was made by torturing aliens. How about we do an interview by torturing aliens?" I asked, "Then where do we catch aliens?"

▲Lee: So the alien idea ended like that.

▲Kwak: There is a way. We just become aliens ourselves (laughs).

Comedian Kwak Beom is impersonating actor Lee Kyung-young. Photo by Bbang Songguk (captured).

- You do a great impression of actor Lee Kyung-young. How much do you usually watch movies or dramas?

▲Kwak: I watch three to four movies a day. I think while watching. Recently, I studied the solemn atmosphere just before a US Marine Corps operation infiltration.

- Marine Corps infiltration? Can you reveal a little?

▲Kwak: When a high-ranking person in a US special forces unit says something, the listeners always cross their arms and show a slight thumbs-up gesture. That’s kind of funny (laughs).

- I see. We should have shown this to readers with photos... We look forward to it being revealed through `Bbangsongguk`. Let me ask a more core question. Where do the ideas for Bbangsongguk come from? How do you manage to control people’s laughter so well?

The handsome face of Lee Chang-ho, Head of the Future Strategy Headquarters. Although somewhat annoying, he is drawing the company's blueprint with outstanding work achievements. Photo by Bbang Song-guk Capture

▲Lee: Many Bbangsongguk materials are slightly adapted parts from past performances, and some are newly created ideas. Some are pieced together from previous shows. Also, fans promote us by commenting and sharing videos, so it has a ripple effect. We are very hopeful.

- You two are so funny. Do you have comedian role models? For example, someone you looked up to and dreamed of becoming?

▲Kwak: Senior Yoo Se-yoon. He is a comedian who makes other comedians laugh. I sincerely respect him. Because of Senior Yoo Se-yoon, I wanted to become a comedian.

- This is the first serious moment in today’s interview.

▲Lee: I like comedian Will Ferrell. One of our dreams is to be comedians who make movies like Get Out. We are thinking about making a movie someday. If you watch Bbangsongguk carefully, there are scenes that could be made into a movie in the distant future.

Will Ferrell is an American comedian and actor, formerly part of the Saturday Night Live crew. Jordan Peele, director of the movie Get Out, is from the Second City comedy troupe and gained fame by hosting shows bearing their own names.

- Bbangsongguk is running well now. Do you have a final dream?

▲Kwak: Chang-ho said, "If we do well, let’s make a space with a performance hall in the basement, a pub on the first floor, and offices."

▲Lee: If we really have the ability, we want to create such a space where juniors can come and perform freely. There are really many hidden masters.

- Then, Kwak Beom, if you were to recommend one really funny junior comedian, who would it be?

▲Kwak: Hmm, it’s junior Kim Hae-jun. We are the same age, but Kim Hae-jun is really funny and talented. He seems to know well what people like. Recently, Kim Hae-jun showed content where he reads his own comments. Please watch it. It’s really funny.

Comedians Lee Chang-ho (right) and Kwak Beom (left) are being interviewed by Asia Economy. / Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

- Have you had any difficult memories while running Bbangsongguk?

▲Lee: This is just my thought. We have many easy-to-make contents on YouTube. But we didn’t do those and worked quietly. Some people pitied us and said, "Try something sensational first, why are you doing it like that?" "Subscribers aren’t increasing, why do you do that?" But we thought, let’s just go with our comedy.

▲Kwak: We are so happy that people like it. We originally thought of 10,000 subscribers, but now we are almost at 100,000. I feel like crying.

- Then, what kind of joy do you get through Bbangsongguk?

▲Lee: During Gag Concert, people remembered the program rather than us, but now people remember Kwak Beom and Lee Chang-ho, which is very good. We get many comments, and it’s great.

▲Kwak: Now it’s not a one-sided content. It’s like a playground. How fun is it to have a playground? If you watch our comedy while seeing our thoughts, it will be even funnier. I don’t know how to express this grateful feeling well.

▲Kwak: Lee Chang-ho’s fan club is called `Horgasm`. Chang-ho, please say something to the fans.

▲Lee: Thanks to Horgasm, it feels like my brain is releasing horgasm. So I feel good all day. Horgasm family, thank you so very much.

▲Kwak: These days, I can clearly see that Chang-ho is very happy thanks to Horgasm. Once again, I bow my head and thank all the fans. Thank you. See you at Bbangsongguk!