At the 1st Anniversary Event of Mun Pyeong Sanchaekbang, Kim Je-dong Said, "I Just Came to Laugh"

"Be Careful with Political Remarks to Avoid 'Getting Criticized Again'"

Broadcaster Kim Je-dong attended the 1st anniversary event of Pyeongsan Bookstore, where former President Moon Jae-in works as a bookstore keeper. At the event, he showed a tendency to minimize political remarks, saying, "I just came to laugh with people."

On the 27th at 6 p.m., Kim Je-dong communicated with citizens by sharing his daily life through the 'Meeting with the Author' event held in Pyeongsan Village, Yangsan City, Gyeongnam Province. Former President Moon and his wife Kim Jung-sook were seated in the audience below the stage that day.

On the 27th at 6 PM, Kim Je-dong had a meeting with an author at the Pyeongsan Bookstore 1st Anniversary event held in Pyeongsan Village, Yangsan-si, Gyeongnam. [Image source=YouTube channel 'Pyeongsan Bookstore' capture]

Kim Je-dong repeatedly emphasized, "I just came to laugh with people," "How good is it to just meet and laugh," and "I came to laugh today." He also said to former President Moon, who was sitting in the audience, "Moon Jae-in ajusshi, please don't tell me things like 'I need the comfort of power'." He added, "Laughter is the safest and most certain revolution," and "It doesn't hurt you, and it doesn't hurt me."

At this event, Kim Je-dong also received applause when he said, "I came here without taking a single penny today." When the applause continued, he said, "Don't applaud. Then I would have to keep going without getting paid." He went on to say, "There should be work that I get paid for, but there should also be work that I don't get paid for," and "These days, I also give lectures at middle and high schools. It's so good because those kids don't know me." Kim Je-dong shared his recent status, saying that when he goes to schools for lectures, students ask him, "Who are you, ajusshi?" and when he says he is a broadcaster, they say, "You don't appear on TV, do you?" and that he spends time playing with the kids like that. In response to an audience question asking, "Aren't you active on broadcasts? We want to see you on TV," Kim Je-dong answered, "Sometimes," then quickly added, "That’s over too."

However, Kim Je-dong said, "I really tried not to talk about politics, but I will say just one thing," and stated, "The people should not fight over political parties; instead, political parties should create a structure where they fight over the people."

Earlier, on the 20th of last month, Kim Je-dong released an essay titled My Words Are Exactly That. This book is his new work released eight years after his bestseller Do You Have Those Moments?, which was published in 2016. At the publication press conference held on the 13th of last month, Kim explained that unlike his previous work dealing with social issues, this book mainly depicts personal daily life. He said, "Eight years ago, my focus was outward. I was concerned about how to live together with people," and added, "Time has passed, and I thought about how I should live. I didn’t have the leisure to heal others. They will live well on their own, I guess."

He also said, "What I do best is making people laugh," and "I love making people laugh so much, but there have been too many things that interfered with doing that. It’s the result of my actions, but if that’s the case, I thought I should reduce those parts and do what I really love."

Meanwhile, Pyeongsan Bookstore, which opened on April 26 last year, held its 1st anniversary week event from the 23rd to the 28th to celebrate its first anniversary.