We argue about it a lot actually She asks "Is it me or the workout?" And that just doesn't make any sense What do you say to her then? Whenever she asks that question I say, "Well, those two are uncomparable" - That's the way you say it
- She'd be upset to hear it Yeah, she gets upset - Of course
- Yeap She just wants me to say it's her I guess But that's not the truth! Wait, that came out wrong So you don't love her? It's just uncomparable - You have to say it's her...
- Sounds like a trick question I say "Of course I like you but..." And she finds odd what comes after She just doesn't get it You can't put "but" in the end - I know
- Yeah Just say "Of course it's you" It's you of course... - End it right there
- Is it the look on my face? - You should at least say that
- I guess it's the look on my face Who would like it when you say it with that look on your face?! It almost looks like you're working your biceps there The original voice hero who sang songs like [One Man], [Lovable] But he's more of a [Old Little Boy] to all the mothers of Korea and an about-to-be-50 year old
muscular hero to the MZ generation It's Kim Jongkook! He's back on [Radio Star] after 5 years The hero of variety shows So you really enjoyed [Radio Star] lately? My recent favorite episode is the one with Sunho on it Featuring Ma Sunho! The one who always tags along with you? The Keyring Man! He's such a hardworking guy And he helped me a lot with my YouTube channel because we get along very well - And I'm glad [Radio Star] liked him
- He did well here - Yeah, he nailed it
- He did But it's just his humor that I don't find it funny He features a lot on my channel but... But I didn't like his sense of humor from the beginning But some people love his style of joke - True
- You know what I mean? - I get it
- The public TV needs him - Right?
- Yeah Let's be real Mr. Kim If he succeeded as a comedian He wouldn't follow you as he does now - That's how it is
- True that - That's why he tags along
- You know why - It's evident
- Yeah Did you see his cardigan got burnt? - I did
- Wasn't that funny? - He can't help laughing about it
- Why do you like it so much? I'm a huge fan of those humor actually - See this over here?
- What happened? It's really burnt! It's quite bothering to my eyes actually It's burnt from the lights I mean he bought it and wore it just for this show to look nice for the camera - But it was burning over there
- You really are a mean one My goodness.... - And you found it really funny?
- I did - You two wore similar style today
- Yeap Should I burn my cardigan as well? And I heard you were moved by Yoo Seyoon recently? Whenever he thinks of a funny idea, he always calls me for a collab video And what I always say to him after he sends me the idea I say "I'll let you slide if it's really funny" That's the condition! Right! You used to tease him a lot before! - Remember this?
- Yeah, I literally annoyed him That's right So he said we'll do it in the recording studio this time and I just went there thinking "Why not?" He really enjoyed his time there That's quite generous of you ♬ You don't bite people Alright, we'll punch in some vocals now - Bro, let's check out the first take
- Okay Talk about generosity A ballad singer with a ripped body and a mosquito-like voice But you refuse to be compared with Sung Sikyung?
Another ballad singer? Sikyung tells me that many guys come to his concert reluctantly because they're there just for their girlfriends But in my case it's the girls who follow the guys actually So the audience is all ripped? You can really see it on the stage Everyone's all swole or ripped And when you see the girls beside them - You can tell they don't like it
- They don't? Those guys are not there for your songs They're there to see a bodybuilding competition Then do you wear sleeveless shirts for the fans during the concert? Not actually I wear them a lot casually but it's too much when you wear it at a concert I try to look the best when I sing Why not wear it just for one song, for the fans, you know? Then when you're singing, you never wiggled your muscles like this? - You know, moving your muscles?
- Oh that? That's one thing I tell the muscular guys not to do it - I hate that move
- You do? Guys, just...don't do it! That wiggly thing But I bet you tried it out when you were at home To see if you can do it or not? I have... been there done that 20 years ago Lift just the right side So my concert is coming up in April And Sunho said he's been busy practicing a medley of my songs So Sunho might come to my show And I heard you directed your concert? Yeah, I prefer to take charge of those things So is my YouTube channel That's why whenever I bring guests to the show I prefer to pick the ones that match the flow of the show Could you elaborate a bit more? It's not like I'm directing the whole show I just make a little act for the guest - Remember when Song Jinwoo...
- Yeah, that was clever He can impersonate Jang Hyuk, right? So I pranked the audience by telling them
that Jang Hyuk would show up, which was actually Jinwoo, And give another twist with Hyuk coming out So that's what I did before And back when GFRIEND was a rising star During the TURBO concert we dressed like GFRIEND during the show and did a little impersonation on the stage and that's when I made GFRIEND appear on the stage in the hook So those were my ideas My gosh, you look gorgeous You have that Kim Hyeseon kind of vibe... - I see it too
- I'm her big fan Because she looks so fit I shouldn't have skipped my leg day back then The audience just loves it So those are the things I do for the fans at the concert Because they like it So it's not like you're doing a show like PSY You just give a lot of ideas actively, right? Yeap That's what we call directing, right? - Of course it is
- I just defined the idea of directing with a narrow scope - So you come up with ideas?
- Yeah I bet you wanted your hair to be seen in a certain way Well, you can say that I guess I was narrow-minded about the idea How biased I am, gee Tell us what's special about your concert Well, since I debuted in 1995 It's been 29 years now - And fortunately, since I have a lot of hit songs
- Every single track was a hit We just mash up all the songs
because it's so hard to pick just one song - So we sing a medley of songs
- Oh, really? Yeah, so the show goes on 29 minutes straight if the audience is in the right age group Not even a bathroom break! You would think 'Oh! I know that one!' 'I know this one too!'
So the concert is quite engaging Let's rewind it back a little You said a lot of guys come to your concert And the right age group, you would mean... - You're 49 years old now, right?
- Yeap That's when guys tend to get prostatomegaly so bathroom break is a must - You gotta have one!
- I told you But it's not like I can give out Saw Palmetto The medication that Namjin promotes? Haha They can't hold number 1 with that kind of medication - I'll think about it
- You really should consider them - I should
- You really should Mr. Kim, the bullfrog of workout YouTube channels Can't you put something different? I've had enough of mosquitos and frogs Mosquitos, frogs, haha And those two aren't even in the same food chain Well, let's put it this way then... Mr. Kim, the guy who's full of testosterone Anyways, your YouTube channel is really blowing up - Did you see this coming?
- I actually did not The very first goal that I had... was to have a sold 300K to 500K subs - Like a core fan?
- With just one camera And I thought of doing it by myself That's how it all began but... How many subs now? More than 1 million? It's actually over 2.98 million And when I first started the channel, I have no idea where all these people were, but the people who regularly work out started to leave comments Saying 'this channel will blow up for sure' And I reached 2 million subs in a month...! - On the first month?
- Just one month? But it's not something to brag about because I was in showbiz... But many celebs fail to do so - I know that but...
- Tons, actually Some have no views at all Just be thankful for what you have! I'm not saying that I'm saying I really appreciate all the support
from the workout community - They showed a lot of love
- They really did And you had so many guests, right? - Even Song Jihyo was on your channel
- Oh, Jihyo? Our channel blew up because of her The video reached 17 million views - Really?
- 17.9 million to be exact 17 million?! And there's this clip that's trending nowadays The clip of Jihyo jumping and hugging Jongkook, and he's got these hover hands around her - His hands went like this
- When he's hugging? He did how? He went like this With the stiff arm Just like greeting someone while making kimchi That's right! - That's what it is
- Exactly - Exactly
- Yeap Let's take a quick look at the clip So she scored - Bro! I did it!
- Ay, stop right there! You gotta have muscles for hover hands Of course, you do - Because you have to hold them up
- You need to have muscles Exactly, you have to hug and hold them up People like us would fall back We would fall back instantly You gotta use your shoulders when doing so Like a hook! Yeah, like this So Jongkook earned his title of "Sama*" in Japan?
*Honorific in Japanese - So you're Kooksama then?
- It's not that popular... - Muscle-sama?
- Well... - Gotta put muscle in it
- Recently! You do know my song [Lovable], right? Of course, we do - That song...
- Blew up in Japan? I still don't know why But someone shot a challenge video to it - In Japan?
- Yeah But that song came out about 18 years ago - And it recently blew up...?
- Because of the video? Yeah Maybe the sumo athletes did it first Am I right? It'd be fun to see the sumo players going like this There was original choreography but they switched it to trendier moves I didn't imagine so many people would do it, even the K-pop stars - And the trend came over to Korea once again?
- Yeah I heard it went over 10 million views We need to take a look So a Japanese influencer started this first - Girl's school?
- And that's Japan! You ARE popular! They did it like a flash mob The song fits well into the video platform biz - Oh, really?
- Yeah, it sounds perfect Really?! Great songs just last forever True that Some K-pop stars might not know what this song is Maybe the ones in the younger generation
might not know it's my song But I'm thankful for all the attention anyway You really are riding high these days, your songs are trending, Ma Sunho is right beside you So much great stuff - True
- Fun stuff going on Maybe Sunho is your lucky charm - I'm sensing the good vibes
- More success is on the way I bet your new song would do well too A lot of people say that I should step out and say that I'm the one who sang this song, and make a short video about it But in my opinion I don't think people would enjoy this song as much if I say so This song is just adorable Even the voice! But with a big muscular guy singing it - Being all masculine
- They would think it's awkward - Right, it's different from expectations
- 'He was the one?' - I get it
- It would look really awkward True It says that you have a dark history that many Japanese fans would find it super awkward Who? Me? - Dark history?
- That just sounds a bit much but... So you have a lot of fans in Japan? I'm not that popular When we ask questions we tend to exaggerate it a lot, - so please understand
- I'll tell you what it's about I once dressed like a beggar in the old days
and went up the [Inkigayo] stage on Seyoon's song He sacrificed himself for me You really know how to control Yoon Dohyun and Jongkook Dohyun doesn't say a thing when I ask him, but this guy, swears all the time but still does what I asked him to do It's because I can get my revenge at the end
if the skit isn't funny at all But I'm glad I did [scissors scissors] with him - because people liked it
- Oh, [scissors scissors]? Let's see what he did Kind of like the Gakseori* vibe
*Singing beggar in the old days - That song?
- Yeap - Let's hear it...
- I wore a lot of costumes... Who is this guy? That's me - That's you?
- Yeah - I didn't even recognize you
- My gosh, what's going on there It looks like he's afraid that he'll get a punch So that was the idea - Yeah
- That was funny I should be the one looking good for the camera There were many K-pop stars on that day And it's been ages since I went there because I haven't released much song - But with all that costume...
- That's when TWICE tried to greet him... But I said don't come in Kim Jongkook, the original voice hero, buried in muscles You picked up a mic instead of dumbbells this time? Yeah, I have a new song coming out But I find this question... Quite ironic, since you're a singer, it should be the mic that you're holding most of the time... If you're buried in muscles, that means your muscles swole up to here But didn't you release songs regularly? I wouldn't say I did it regularly I just featured on some songs when KCM asked me Tell us about your new song since
it's been some time we've heard a new song from you It's called [Spring has come] Because spring is coming... Actually, Da-Il wrote me this song in the late spring of last year But the timing wasn't right So I tried to change it to 'Fall has come' to release it But the changed words ruined the vibe So I waited until this spring to release the song I waited a whole year to name this song [Spring Has Come] And Da-Il loves to workout as well So when we were at the gym I told him to pay my personal training fee with a song And he really did Then I heard the song, and it was different from what I used to do So I told him "Let's do this song" And Jungnam couldn't make it to the song? Not even a few lines? - What happened with you and him?
- Well... I sometimes called him to the shows that I got paid to sing And we sang songs from team TURBO We had this gig recently but he forgot all the lyrics of the rap Like how we grease up the machine,
you need to keep things going consistently But I guess it wasn't the case for him Well...after that... We stopped working as a duo He's having some self-reflection time We'll be back once he gets the lyrics right... So you debuted a long time ago... Come on bro - What? It's in the script?
- Don't do me like that I'm just reading the script It almost feels like I'm with Jungnam right now I really do look like him With Gookjin wearing a sunglass - he really looks like Jungnam
- I do For real Talk about doppelganger With Jongkook on my side, I'll look like Jungnam Then can we hear a bit of your new song, with that MZ generation kind of vibe? I'm eager to hear it since the spring's just around the corner - It's almost here
- It really is spring Can we hear it? ♬ Do you think about it sometimes? ♬ The unsolved emotions among us ♬ The spring... H-hold on a second Let me get the lyrics right... Yeah, hold up You're no different from Jungnam And his part is raps! It's because I don't get to sing often once I finish recording in the studio I just don't have time to memorize after the session Of course, you don't sing live much right after it Let me try again Get the lyrics right this time ♬ When I think of you sometimes,
the unsolved emotions between us ♬ The dark nights I've spent ♬ Thinking about it ♬ As time goes by, I become curious ♬ Feeling so dim, I guess the spring has come ♬ Again That was awesome Can't wait to hear more It looked like you got confused again I did - In the middle
- You could tell it? Heard a bit of a pause there It's hard to memorize when it's your 47th spring It's been 7 years since you became [My Little Old Boy] You've turned 47 this year and did you know you wouldn't get married until now? I didn't know it'd take this long I couldn't even imagine Maybe you would like to settle down but could be afraid that your partner might not like your gym stuff - Could that be the reason?
- It's on the list Actually on top of the list Back in the day, I didn't get why the girls didn't like
me doing the workout because it's not like I'm drinking or hanging out all the time But as time went by I felt like it could get in the way of relationships And whenever I see someone We argue about it a lot actually She would ask "Is it me or the workout?" And that just doesn't make any sense What do you say to her then? Whenever she asks that question I say, "Well, those two are uncomparable" - True that
- No it's not, she'd be upset Yeah, she gets upset about it - Of course
- Yeap She just wants me to say it's her I guess But that's not the truth! Wait, that came out wrong So you don't love her? It's just uncomparable - You have to say it's her...
- Sounds like a trick question I say "Of course I like you but..." And she finds odd what comes after She just doesn't get it You can't put 'but' in the end - I know
- Yeah Just say "Of course it's you" It's you of course... - End it right there
- Is it the look on my face? - You should at least say that
- I guess it's the look on my face Who would like it when you say it with that look on your face?! It almost looks like you're working your biceps there But I just don't get the idea of asking the question So there's not much I can do Then do you feel like you still seek romance these days? I don't feel like what it used to be Even though I'm in the show biz and even though I see a lot of beautiful people all the time My heart just remains calm It's just all business to you I guess Remember those hover hands on Jihyo? - I just try hard to look polite
- The polite hands Not the hover hands, haha So that means you prefer to be alone these days? But I feel like I should get married before 50 - That's what I have in mind too
- If you don't make it after 50, come visit my salon For what? Many lonely people visit my shop in holidays or Christmas They come often because they don't have other appointments So they prefer to freshen up their mood at the salon So yeah, you should visit my shop It's not like you'll find him a match but you'll give him a haircut, eh? You gotta pay up when the time comes She really knows how to run a business! Queen of promotion Alright, so Jongkook who's a gym addict has famous quotes about working out To name a few, 'Fitness club is much more fun than night clubs' That's what I told other younger K-pop idols And you said,
'It's the heart that lifts up the weight, not the body' 'Eating is also a part of working out' Because nutrition matters - You should write a book about it
- I really did come up with those quotes And I always say this to the people Whenever people post their pictures after working out It should be the picture of an empty bowl not them posing in mirrors That's what I say to them I can really relate to this saying! I guess you've skipped the last part of working out Yeah, I can't eat after working out So when I go to the gym, the trainers always say I should eat rather than work out He got his priorities mixed up Eating itself is an exercise for me Using the muscles in your jaw In his jaw, hahaha Now this one sounds good too 'Why put your life at risk for just one picture?' I guess it's about the body profile trend Yeah, I think the trend itself can motivate people to work out That's one good side of it but in my point of view, if you go through
extreme exercising and dieting, it could really affect your health And a lot of people just binge-eat and go back to how they were after the photoshoot So instead of that, I say it's better to invest 2 to 3 years for the sake of their own future That's quite philosophic 'Life is a continuous movie, not a still picture' So that was the idea when I said it - That sounds so cool
- But the trend has some good sides to it though That sounds awesome It really does The word is out that you've abandoned the year of the Dragon Club and switched to Tiger Club instead Let me clarify that I'm in charge of a football club named 'Tiger FC' and I'm quite passionate about it So that's why Who are the members? The one who attends the most is Kang Hoon - He was on our show as well!
- He did He was quite a character from what I remember Kang Hoon, Kang Hoon I didn't expect him to be so passionate He even delays schedules just for the soccer match He's that much passionate about it? He just loves to play soccer - He always shows up first
- Kang Hoon? And Jonathan is also a member - Jonathan
- He really is a star these days But it's the fashion he cares about Not about improving his soccer skills I guess he likes to wear fancy He wears new clothes every week Always And he'd take a selfie, that's what he likes to do He cares about his drip And Lee Yikyung is also a member - Yikyung...
- He's a rising star these days He did attend a lot before, but not these days - Because he's busy?
- Yeah, we don't like it when people don't show up but we let him slide all the time because he never forgets to pay the membership fee - You gotta let him slide
- Doesn't show up, but still pays the fee So I let him slide missing the matches So those are the celebrity members You sound really humble there but it says that your football club can go on a
neck-and-neck match with world-class players! My manager used to be a soccer player actually So he recruited the rest of the members
with those who played soccer before Even Kim Minjae's older brother is on our team Is his name Manjae then? Come on... I admit it, it was a silly joke His name is 'Kyungmin' Oh, Kyungmin - He's really good looking
- Really? The soccer gene went all over to Kim Minjae He's got the looks So he invited Minjae to our team once - The soccer player
- To Tiger FC? Yeah, so we played soccer together And Park Jooho is also a member! He joined the team right after he retired! So that's his new team? Yeap I got this feeling that he would appear on variety shows by tagging along with you! Trying to replace the Keyring Man, Ma Sunho I bet you could feel it too
