Kim Jae-dong, who said "I want to do something funny," to attend Moon's Pyeongsan Bookstore 1st anniversary event

Broadcaster Kim Je-dong will attend the 1st anniversary event of Pyeongsan Bookstore, where former President Moon Jae-in works as a bookstore keeper, to meet with citizens.

Pyeongsan Bookstore Side: "Meeting Time with Writer Kim Je-dong on the 27th"

Broadcaster Kim Je-dong is giving a greeting at the press conference for the release of his essay "That's Exactly What I Mean" held on the morning of the 13th at the Francisco Education Center in Jung-gu, Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 25th, Pyeongsan Bookstore announced through its official Instagram, "The 1st anniversary of Pyeongsan Bookstore is approaching on April 25. To celebrate the anniversary, we have prepared events and various attractions from World Book Day on April 23 until the 28th." They added, "On the 27th at 6 PM, there will be a meeting time with writer Kim Je-dong in the yard of Pyeongsan Village Hall." Earlier, on the 11th, Pyeongsan Bookstore had announced that they would recruit 240 participants for the meeting event with Kim Je-dong, targeting members of the Pyeongsan Bookstore Book Club.

Kim Je-dong released an essay book titled “That’s Exactly What I Mean” on the 20th of last month. It is his second essay book released eight years after the 2016 bestseller “Don’t You Have Those Moments?” The new book contains small stories about his life at home, traveling around the country, and meeting children.

Kim Je-dong: "Living as if Running for General Election... I Want to Do Funny Things"

[Image source=Pyeongsanchaekbang Instagram]

Earlier, on the 13th of last month, at a publishing press conference held at the Francisco Education Center on Jeongdong-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul, Kim Je-dong said, "I want to reduce social commentary and focus on doing funny things." He explained, "Eight years ago, my attention was outward. I was thinking about how to live together with people. This time, that attention has turned a bit inward. Time has passed, and I have been thinking about how I want to live."

Kim Je-dong, who had been noted for frequent social remarks, confessed, "When people meet me, some keep supporting me, some just glare, and some even curse at me while eating. At some point, I was living as if I were always running for a general election."

He continued, "I don’t even know what social issues are anymore. If that becomes a barrier to meeting people, I wonder if the way I have done things has any meaning." He added, "I want to live quietly and avoid trouble. I am scared and afraid. Right now, the most important thing to me is meeting children and talking about history with people I meet at Gyeongbokgung." Currently, he is running a program called ‘Gyeongbokgung History Outing’ as a gandangsa (講談師, a storyteller profession from the Joseon Dynasty).

Kim Je-dong said, "The thing I am best at is making people laugh. I love making people laugh so much, but there have been too many obstacles to doing that. Although it is the result of my actions, if that is the case, I want to reduce those parts and focus on the funny things I truly love to do. I can’t completely shed what has been imposed on me, but I want to make people laugh."