On May 20, TV Chosun held a press conference in Seoul to celebrate the launch of the new variety program. The event was attended by production staff alongside cast members including Kim Byung Man, Yook Jun Seo, and Younghoon.
Survival King 2 is a large-scale international survival competition program where teams from different Asian countries compete to determine the region’s ultimate survival champion. The latest season was reportedly filmed in Taiwan.
Originally launched in 2024, the program is returning after two years with even more intense competition, psychological strategy, and realistic survival challenges.
Speaking about his first experience joining the show, Kim Jong Kook explained that he tried hard to communicate with both the Korean cast members and international participants throughout filming.
He stated:
“There could naturally be complaints regarding fairness, so I tried to coordinate those aspects as much as possible. You could say I played the role of balancing everything.”
Kim Jong Kook further described himself as acting like a “control tower” responsible for helping maintain order during the chaotic survival environment.
Fellow cast member Kim Byung Man also praised Kim Jong Kook’s presence on set, revealing:
“The atmosphere on set could become quite chaotic sometimes, but he acted like a control tower and organized things really well. From my perspective, it was reassuring because I could focus entirely on the missions.”
The new season features four national teams with different survival specialties.
Korea’s “Team Kim Byung Man” will compete against Japan’s physically dominant “Team Yoshinari,” Taiwan’s rising survival experts “Team Hsu Kai,” and Malaysia’s versatile “Team Hero,” known for combining intelligence with physical ability.
According to production staff, Survival King 2 expands its scale dramatically compared to season one, with survival missions taking place across jungles without fire, deserts lacking water, and unpredictable urban environments.
Rather than focusing purely on physical strength, the program aims to explore the true meaning of survival through strategic thinking, teamwork, and psychological warfare under extreme conditions.
With Kim Jong Kook now joining the series as MC, many viewers are already anticipating stronger chemistry, leadership, and entertainment value throughout the competition.
Sources: 네이트 뉴스
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