Comedian Shim Hyung-rae (68) recalled his past days when he was loved for the character "Young-gu."
On the 20th, KBS 1TV's "Morning Courtyard" featured broadcasters Shim, Kim Hak-rae, Lee Kyung-ae, Bae Young-man, and Lee Kyung-rae.
During the broadcast, when asked how the Yeong-gu character was born, Shim replied, "There was a Young-gu character in a drama I enjoyed watching as a child, and I wanted to revive it." Shim added, "People around me tried to stop me, saying it was 'a character from a long-passed drama,' but I pleaded with the producer and managed to film it as a pilot. And it became a huge hit."
Kim Hak-rae shared, "Back then, everyone made people laugh with clean, polished lines, but Shim Hyeong-rae would say 'An-nyeong-ha-tte-yo' [a playful mispronunciation of 'Hello']. I thought, 'Is this really a comedian?' But his popularity soared, and he even signed a contract with Shinchon Music. Then he released the Yeong-gu carol. His popularity exploded to the point where factories couldn't keep up with production."
Lee Kyung-rae praised him by saying, "Jeon Yu-seong once said, 'We should be grateful to Shim Hyeong-rae. He expanded the realm of comedy immensely.'"
Later, when asked how many commercials he shot at his peak, Shim said, "I shot more than 100."
He added, "I received 80 million won per commercial," noting, "When I first bought an apartment in the Apgujeong Hyundai complex, it cost 78 million won. That was enough money to buy 100 units."
in ENTERTAINMENT
