“It was fairly uncommon for an actor to host a show like this,” said actor and politician Moon Sung-keun, who was the first host of the show. “This is what made the show so special. As an actor, I could walk around the stage or perch on a desk while talking.”

A pioneer in investigative television in Korea, “I Want To Know That” deployed dramatic settings to make the show more entertaining, while not escaping the bounds of the logical composition of documentaries. Having a renowned actor as its host was one such effort.

Actor Kim Sang-jung, the current host of the show, expressed his thanks to the staff, saying: “Thanks to the passion and professionalism of the staff who all had a sense of mission as journalists, the show could garner great popularity over the past decades.”

Fellow former host and actor Jung Jin-young said “I Want To Know That” is somewhat different from other documentaries or educational programs because the show does not just “present” information.

All three admitted that there is a definite pressure on them as actors, since hosting the program establishes a serious, taciturn image that might hamper image transformations, a possibly pernicious prospect for actors. The three, however, also said they all enjoyed hosting the show as it has contributed to the betterment of our society.

Moon’s most memorable episodes involved former congressman Jang Joon-ha’s mysterious death and North Korean defector Chang Moo-hwan’s reunion with his wife after decades apart. Kim said his most memorable episode was of last year’s heartbreaking Sewol ferry incident that killed hundreds of teenage students. Jung chose that of the death of Kim Sun-il, a Korean interpreter and Christian missionary who was kidnapped and beheaded in Iraq in 2004.


By Ko Ji-seon (jiseonko@heraldcorp.com)