The Korea Times : Madcap Europeans Prove TV Show Hit

/Korea Times Photo by Park Chung-a. | Hankookilbo | SportsHankook ... PDF/iBrowser · About the Times ... Quintart has also been very quick at learning Korean.
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By Park Chung-a Staff Reporter The wit and unusual antics of three young European men have helped SBS score a hit with the magazine show ``A Way to Live Well and Eat Well.’’ The trio of Thierry Riviere, Philippe Lapairy and Julian Quintart are featured on the Saturday morning show’s popular segment, ``Travel Eight Provinces of Korea,’’ visiting out-of-the-way parts of the country and experiencing various The unusual antics of Julian Quintart, left, Thierry adventures. Riviere, center, and Philippe Lapairy have helped to make Whenever their segment airs, their travel segment one of the most popular slots on SBS viewer ratings shoot up and show “A Way to Live Well and Eat Well.” /Korea Times Photo by Park Chung-a the free Internet board for the show is filled with comments calling for an extension of the program. Viewers, it seems, are getting a good laugh out of their extravagant gestures and humorous repartee. While Riviere and Lapairy have been doing the TV show since May 2004, 20-year-old Quintart joined last October. ``The show has become more baby-like. More disorderly and more noisy,’’ Lapairy said with a mischievous grin. Disorderly indeed. Whenever the three are together, their conversation does not seem to end and they create a lively and entertaining mood by poking fun at each other. One trademark move is when a reporter asks one of them a question, the other two fix their eyes on him and prop their chins on their hands. All three speak Korean well enough to answer interview questions, making the reporter’s boastful attempts at French needless. Lapairy, who commands the best Korean among the three, coaches and advises the other two. When the other two speak in Korean, he points out their mistakes or suggests improvements. ``Whenever Thierry learns a new word, he tries to use the word as often as possible so that he can fully remember it,’’ Lapairy said. ``But sometimes, even though it’s not the right situation to use the word, Thierry stubbornly uses the new word. Quintart has also been very quick at learning Korean. He just has to articulate more.’’ On their most recent episode, the three experienced a special military camp in Songpa-gu, Seoul. ``It was the most physically challenging experience that I have ever had. I really learned a lot,’’ Quintart said. ``Sometimes I could not understand orders by superiors because they spoke so quickly and loudly. However, I just managed to do it by watching what others do,’’ he said. During the interview, the three spontaneously shouted ``andoemyon toegaehara,’’ a motto that they learned during the camp, meaning roughly ``if it’s impossible, make it possible.’’ Riviere came to South Korea first, arriving about four years ago when he fell in love with a Korean student and became interested in the country. He is currently trying to learn Chinese characters. ``I would like to contribute to making Korea more well known in France. It’s such a pity that it is still unknown to many Europeans compared to Japan and China,’’ Riviere said. ``Although Japan and China can be good destinations for package travel, I think Korea is

the best for quality and a variety of experiences that you can have with a long-term perspective,’’ he said. Riviere is currently planning to write a travel guide for the country in Korean and French. Lapairy was born in Korea but adopted by a French family when he was six years old. Although he is very much French, having lived there more than 25 years, his affection for Korea was somewhat natural, he said. After traveling around South Korea for one month in 1998, he came back to the country one year later. Since then, he has been looking for his biological parents. Riviere and Lapairy became acquainted through the French Embassy while working as Web site designers. Becoming close friends, the two teamed up to participate in a special TV entertainment show featuring foreign residents in early 2004, which proved a hit due to their humor and friendliness. A producer contacted them, offering them a slot on the SBS TV show. Belgian youngster Quintart came to Seoul in late 2004 as an exchange student. He has adapted quickly, has Korean food for breakfast and likes to sing domestic pop songs. He already has a fan club on the Internet. ``I really want to master Korean and know Korean culture better while I am here,’’ he said. The three agree that their sense of humor is well matched to Korean television. ``Korean television programs seem to really focus on fun. If it’s not fun and popular, they just throw it right away,’’ Lapairy said. ``But once something proves to be popular, they keep doing it until viewers get tired of it. In France, we don’t do that.’’ [email protected] 01-31-2006 21:15

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