Eating On Air

[Anchor Lead]

You may have heard the term “meokbang,” a mash-up of the Korean words for eating and on air. It’s now a widely used expression in South Korea, and some meokbang stars can attract millions of viewers. We dig into the phenomenon on today’s close up.

[Pkg]

The meokbang craze is real. Entertainers present a wide variety of "meokbang" shows on TV. Some of these "meokbang" stars are big eaters, to the surprise of viewers. The first one is actor Park Bo-geom. Park graduated from university in February after years of hard work. He is loved by many fans for his immaculate good looks and charming personality. He has a surprising nickname. They call him "Bab Bo-geom," as he eats too much. Bab means rice in Korean. He loves foods so much that he doesn't overlook dropped grains of rice. On the KBS' on-the-road reality show "Two Days & One Night," he boasted about his big stomach, eating up some chicken after finishing his bulgogi and rice. His voracity makes viewers feel full. A surprising big eater is actress Kim Yoo-jeong. She is slender and even skinny. But she is said to even binge on foods she loves. A scene of her binge eating in a drama might not have been acting after all.

[Soundbite] Park Bo-geom (KBS Drama 'Love in the Moonlight') : "Where did this all go in that small body?"

She eats all kinds of food without being picky. On an episode of "Two Days & One Night," she was the last one to eat to the end and won respect from cast members.

[Soundbite] (KBS Reality Show 'Two Days & One Night') : "(I rarely call it quits. I give up. you really eat well.) Didn't you force yourself to the limit?"

[Soundbite] (KBS Reality Show 'Two Days & One Night') : "(she doesn't look as if she is eating against her will.) It looks that she doesn't want to stop eating involuntarily."

Kim gulped down the soup of the ramyeon. She deserves the nickname "big eater." Singer and TV personality Kim Jong-kook is also a well-known big eater.

[Soundbite] Kim Jong-kook (Singer): "What are we going to eat?"

As soon as he wakes up, Kim wants something to eat. His big stomach is a headache for his friends.

[Soundbite] Kim Jong-kook (Singer) : "I don't like feeling hungry. When I wake up at 4 a.m., I have two bowls of mudfish soup. I eat grilled pork for breakfast. I have a king's breakfast and a prince's lunch."

Remembering what Kim said, his friends are hunting for foods. Fortunately, Kim had a good breakfast thanks to his friends. Big-eater stars stimulate the appetite of their viewers. Forget about dieting briefly and have a big hearty meal just for the pleasure of eating.