| Yoo Jae-Seok | |
|---|---|
| Pseudonym | Grasshopper (메뚜기), Nal Yoo (날 유), Yooruce Willis Yoo Hyuk |
| Birth name | Yoo Jae-Seok |
| Born | August 14, 1972 Seoul, South Korea |
| Medium | Stand-up, television |
| Nationality | South Korea |
| Years active | 1991 – present |
| Genres | Observational, Sketch, Wit, Parody, Slapstick, Dramatic, Sitcom |
| Influences | Shim Hyung-rae, Lee Gyeong-gyu, Shin Dong-yeob, Kang Ho-dong |
| Influenced | Jung Hyung-don, Noh Hong-cheol, Gil Sung-jun, Ha-Ha, Shin Bong-Seon |
| Spouse | Na Gyung-Eun (announcer) |
| Notable works and roles | Host of Infinite Challenge, Running Man, and Happy Together |
| Korean name | |
|---|---|
| Hangul | 유재석 |
| Hanja | 劉在錫 |
| Revised Romanization | Yu Jae-seok |
| McCune–Reischauer | Yu Chae-sŏk |
Yoo Jae-Seok (Hangul: 유재석; or spelled Yu Jae-Suk; born on August 14, 1972) is a South Korean comedian and television comedy show host. Nicknamed as "MC of the nation" (국민 MC), people (netizens) have voted him for the most popular Korean comedian for five consecutive years (since 2004). He has hosted several variety television shows in South Korea, including the hugely popular program Infinite Challenge. Nicknamed "The Grasshopper", due to early appearances dressed as a grasshopper, he is now known for his quick wit and likability with most demographics, and has established himself as one of Korea's top comedians and TV personalities.
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Yoo Jae-Seok was born as the first child out of three (he has two younger sisters) on August 14, 1972 in Seoul, South Korea. Yoo Jae-Seok attended the Seoul Institute of the Arts, but had been unable to receive his degree due to his busy schedule as a comedian.
His television debut was on the KBS Comedian Festival (for college students) in 1991, performing a parody of a commercial with Choi Seung-Gyung (Hangul: 최승경). In Infinity Challenge, him dancing to a cover of the song "Step by Step" by New Kids on the Block was shown as one of his early memorable moments. After nine years of hard times, in 2000, he hosted a program called Live and Enjoy Together (Dong-guh-dong-lak), thanks to Choi Jin-Sil's recommendation. The program became instantly popular, and since then, Yoo began to host many other variety programs. His potentiality was fully shown when he co-hosted a program called The Crash of MCs (MC 대격돌 - 공포의 쿵쿵따) with Kang Ho-Dong, Lee Hui-Jae and Kim Han-Seok.
His first Grand Prix was for a program called Happy Together Friends, which concept based on TV personalities trying to find their school friends (five of them) out of many (false friends) who are sitting behind the desk. The show brought reminiscence upon the viewers' school days, and became very popular. This Grand Prix is even more memorable, not just because it was Yoo's first one, but it was from the broadcasting system where he debuted.
He hosted the shows X-Man, which soon grew to be very popular, and thus one of the most viewed shows in Korea. During those times, he gained much more popularity and many programs began to nickname Yoo as "MC of the Nation." However, after few years of constant airing, the program was canceled due to failing ratings as well as absence of new ideas, and Yoo went on to host its replacement shows, New X-Man, Old TV (in which guests would re-enact classic TV series), and Haja! Go! (Let's Do It) for SBS, which were all canceled soon, due to low ratings on Sunday evening. However, X-Man has gone on to success in international syndication.
Yoo is a part of the cast of the top-rated comic variety program Muhan Dojeon (무한도전), as the host-in-chief since 2005. Initially a six-member cast, Haha left the program as he was drafted to serve his mandatory military service and was replaced by Shinhwa's Junjin. The program wasn't popular when it first aired, but by the time Season 3 aired in 2006, the concept and format of "variety & reality program" became so popular, and Infinite Challenge became the forerunner of so many programs to follow with the same or similar format. Infinite Challenge is possibly the best program for Yoo, for he met his wife Na Kyung-Eun during season 2, and with the rising popularity and significant effect on general public, Yoo got even more famous. He ended up getting total of three Grand Prix (in 2006, 2007 and 2009) with the program.[1]
Yoo also koco-hosts Come to Play (놀러와) with Kim Won-Hee and Happy Together Season 3 (해피 투게더 3) with Park Myung-Soo, Park Mi-Seon and Shin Bong-Seon. Yoo hosted these talk shows for a long period of time (both over 5 years), but the ratings have been constantly high throughout the years. Similar, yet very different, Yoo tries his best to differentiate his hosting styles, both based on the guests and the settings they are situated in.
After those replacement shows on SBS, on June 15, 2008, Yoo, along with Lee Hyori, Yoon Jong-Shin, Kim Soo-Ro, Lee Chun Hee, Kang Dae-Sung, Park Ye-Jin and Kim Jong Kook (since episode 19) are the hosts and family members of Family Outing (Korean: 패밀리가 떴다), part of SBS's Good Sunday lineup. Since then, Family Outing has become one of the top-rated shows in Korea, consistently achieving the highest ratings at Sunday mid-afternoon time-slot (especially during the first and second quarters of 2009)[2] However, with various problems and scandals regarding the program, and by the end of 2009 and beginning of 2010, a rumor of Yoo not continuing his contract with Family Outing was raised. By the time of his contract expiration, Family Outing rating wasn't same as that of beginning of 2009, and Season 1 was brought to an end (on 2010.02.14 with Family Awards).
On July 6, 2008, Yoo Jae-Seok married MBC announcer Na Gyoung-Eun (나경은) who has also worked on the show Infinite Challenge. Yoo and his wife welcomed their first child, a son, on May 1, 2010.[3] He is a Buddhist.[4]
From 11 July 2010, he is hosting in a variety show called Running Man together with Ji Suk Jin, Kim Jong Kook, Kang Hee-gun/Gary (LeeSsang), Ha Dong Hoon, Song Ji-hyo, Song Joong-Ki and Lee Kwang Soo.
On Infinite Challenge as the host-in-chief, he leads all Infinite Challenge members to reach the goal of each episodes. Due to his leadership presented to this program, a new kind of cult has been created that called "Infinite Jaeseok Cult" (Korean: 무한재석교)[5] and he becomes as a spiritual leader of this false-religion. The official followers are Ha Ha and Noh Hong-cheol (from the episode of Season 3, episode 61), and the official motto is "I shall make you laugh" (내가 너희를 웃기게 하리라).
Also during the New Zealand series, he got caught smuggling pornographic videos during the baggage check, which was hidden by the second host in charge: Park Myung-Soo. This sketch was well received by the Korean netizens and Jae-Seok became "Ero Jae-Seok". Even now, over seventy episodes later, he still is made fun of for watching pornographic videos which he hadn't watched.
He has been called "Class-president Yoo" (유 반장) for so many episodes of Muhan Dojun, but since "Palace Millionaire" special (Slumdog Millionaire parody, where Infinite Challenge members tour old palaces in Seoul), Yoo has been nicknamed Delinquent Yoo (날 유), for having meetings with girls at these palaces back when he was a high school student. His most recent nickname has been "An Animal Racer" (짐승 레이서), "A Genius Racer" (천재 레이서), and "Yoomacher" (유 마허), thanks to his excellent driving skills shown during Infinite Challenge Formula One (F1) Special.
The vital power of the instant success of Family Outing has been the characters' relationships. Two of the most successful character pairings has been "The Nation's siblings" (국민 남매) with Lee Hyo-ri and "Dumb and Dumber" with Dae-Sung of Big Bang. Yoo has been the driving force of those two character relationships, as program's host-in-chief and regular member of the family.[6]
Although he is one of the weak ones, Yoo is always portrayed as the rival of Kim Jong Kook. He often call himself "Yooruce Willis" (유르스 윌리스) when being chased by Kim Sparta Kook but he often gets caught in the end. He is also often being labelled as the "Icon of Betrayal" because in one of the episode(38)where he has to eliminate and lie to all his team mates.
As the main host of two talk shows (Come to Play and Happy Together Season 3), Yoo tries to differentiate his hosting (MC-ing) styles. In Come to Play, he focuses more on guests' episodes, rather than his own (This can be violated when his close friends appear on the show). His remarks and reactions flow even if the guest is new on any kind of variety programs, thus makes Come to Play very heartwarming to watch. Happy Together Season 3 is little bit different in a sense that the setting is much more intimate (in a sauna locker room), and Yoo's ad-libs shine brilliantly.
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