IN DEFENSE OF JEON SO MIN NOONA

I’m calling her Noona, because she is older than me. I’m born in April 25 1990. While she was in 1986. But that’s not the point here.

Every once in a while, I wrote some of my opinions and rants here, about K-pop, K-dramas, and K-Variety. In short K-Showbiz. But the truth is, now I only wrote once in a while for everything. It’s not that I’m busy, but I have no internet connection at home. I only scan and surf it, once in a week now. Even if I have it, I’m distracted by many things that can be found there.

Now the biggest news in K-Showbiiz, the recent, truthfully not so recent, was the controversy involving the Burning Sun Club. With such huge names, such as Seungri of Big Bang, and Jung Joon Young being involved. And the good name of my most favorite K-Actress, Han Hyo Joo being dragged into it. Which got me worried sick, here at home. But I’m not gonna talk about this. I’m going to tackle a rather, older issue.

About two or three years ago. Gary announced his departure from the show Running Man. Months later, Kang Ho Dong, was announced to be joining the show, but with Kim Jong Kook and Song Ji Hyo, leaving it. Fans, mostly international fans, protested heavily about the move. Kang Ho Dong, backtracked, and said that he will not join the show anymore. After that, the show was announced to be cancelled by the next year.

But when that next year came, it’s either February or March, I don’t really remember now. Vice President for Variety of SBS, Nam Seung Yong, announce that the show will continue, with the six remaining members.

I know by myself, that the six members will not be enough. They need new members. And by June or May of that year. They casted Yang Se Chan, and Jeon So Min. I have predicted on my own, that Yang Se Chan will eventually join the show, for a number of reasons. One is, his older brother Yang Se Hyung, was on the other show, Infinite Challenge, where Haha and Yoo Jae Seok were also members. But by my biggest reason is, he was invited for an episode, then again for another, with only a one episode interval. The production of the show, might have seen something in him that time. 

Jeon So Min, on the other hand, I’m skeptic about her, for she was unknown to me at that time. And her name, doesn’t ring any bells to me. I have seen her for the first time on a variety show, in Knowing Brothers. But still no great performance, or a moment to be remembered. She has also appeared on Running Man, way before I had watch her on Knowing Brothers, but again, it doesn’t ring any bells, and I don’t even know that it was her. Her character on the show, only became obvious, with her most recent guesting on the show, before being casted as a regular member. But then again, among that group of guest, I thought Park Jin Joo, was the one that might be hired, not her.

But now it’s Jeon So Min who has joined the show. And I will say this, with all of my heart, she totally owned and deserved her spot on Running Man. But fans, especially those from some Southeast Asian nations, can’t accept her as  a new member. I will not name nations, but it’s definitely not Philippines, my country, not also Indonesia, for she was greatly welcomed there, when she came for a penalty, with Lee Kwang Soo.

To those guys, moved on! Stop hating her on Instagram! She had not done anything wrong! But instead, she’s doing her best to better the show. Believe me, if Jeon So Min was to go out now as you wish, Running Man will count days before its cancellation again. It’s not that Jeon So Min is Running Man, and Running Man is Jeon So Min. But she became an integral part of the show now, that it will be a great mistake to remove her.

Although it was not Jeon So Min, I predicted a certain, female celebrity will join the show, with a character of being a betrayer. Jeon So Min, has indeed a character of being a betrayer. I was right on what character the new female member would be, only falling short of naming it right as Jeon So Min. I wrote it in my Wattpad fan-fiction of Running Man. To know more about the story and the female celebrity that I predicted to join the show, go to: wattpad.com/KennTheWriter and find STORY NO. 32.

If you will account what happened to the show now, the awards that the show received, and Jeon So Min herself, through the show. You may not understand those detractors, and thought them as crazies. But I somehow understand them. Not that I agree with them, but I understand them.

Maybe they have other favorites, to join the show. Speaking of favorites, before the Jeon So Min era, the most favorite female celebrity by fans, to join Running Man, was none other than Ms. Areumdapta, Han Hyo Joo. It is because of her appearance on episode 123-124 of Running Man. She was so reserved, and like other actress who ever joined any variety show, not just Running Man, was being actressly liked. In one of the race of that episode, Haha provoked her by tripping her leg, and treating her not as a guest, nor an actress. After that she shouted Areumdapta, and all her pretentions, and reservations of herself was gone thereafter. She joined again on episode 151-152, alongside Jung Woo Sung and Lee Jun Ho, for the promotion of the movie Cold Eyes, but it is not as good as her previous appearance. I myself, wanted her too, to join the show. But I also understand, that it is not her ambition. She is passed variety shows, now. I think she wants to be remember or to succeed as a movie star, than being variety star, just as most actors and actresses are. I don’t know if she is succeeding on it, for she has good movies, but none of it rings a bell a month or so, after it was released. Still I think she wants to go to that path, than being a variety show regular. She might appear on some variety shows, but will not be a member of it.

But the real reason, on why Yang Se Chan, Jeon So Min, even Kang Ho Dong was not accepted by those fans, is 7012. 7012 means(7-chil/seven 0-yong/zero 1-one 2-i/two). One is red by Koreans as won, so if you form a word from zero to two, it will be red as, yongwoni, which in Hangul means, forever. To shorten it, 7012 means 7 forever, being that 7 were Gary, Ji Hyo, Jae Seok, Kwang Soo, Jong Kook, Haha, and Seok Jin. And those who believed 7012, added a clause that, no one will leave, no one will be added. Only Running Man, has fans like that in the whole world. And their belief is a delusion.

2 Days and 1 Night, is one of the longest running variety show in Korea. 10 years and counting. I don’t really know, if they are still on the air right now, for what happened to Jung Joon Young, might have affected the show. But the show survived, by casting new members, with only Kim Jong Min, remaining from the pioneering ones. Many members have to leave, for various reasons. Being the most recent to leave, or maybe kicked out, was Jung Joon Young because of the gravity of the allegations and accusations against him.

What I am saying is, leaving and replacing, are part of making the show better and longer. Gary was not kicked out, he leave on his own terms, so don’t put blame on Jeon So Min, because she replaced him. Nothing is forever in this world. Everyone are leaving, and someone are replacing them, everywhere in the world.

Again I am pleading to those who hate Jeon So Min. If you can’t really unhate her, please don’t bother her on her social media. Just hate her privately on your own. She has not done anything wrong. But doing her best on her tenure as a member on Running Man. And Running Man is a little better now because of it.