Lee Seung-gi “I’m the one who first created ‘New Journey to the West'”
Singer Lee Seung-gi highlighted his role on tvN's "New Journey to the West"
On the March 6th broadcast of JTBC’s “Famous Singers and Street Judges”, Lee Seung-gi showed surprise when his team member Shin Hae-sol said, “I’m a huge fan of ‘New Journey to the West’, so I wanted to be on the same team with Kyuhyun.“ Lee Seung-gi then jokingly responded, “I’m the one who first created ‘New Journey to the West’. With (Na) Young-seok.“
tvN’s “New Journey to the West”, which started broadcasting in 2015, reinterpreted the Chinese classic “Journey to the West” in an entertaining way, gaining immense popularity. With “2 Days & 1 Night” original members Kang Ho-dong, Lee Soo-geun, Eun Ji-won and Lee Seung-gi, the show continued through Season 8, with various cast changes.
As Lee Seung-gi mentioned, he is indeed one of the key figures behind the creation of “New Journey to the West”. At the press conference held before the first broadcast in September 2015, PD Na Young-seok said, “Lee Seung-gi was the first person to come up with the idea. We initially talked about just going on a trip together, but since broadcasting it as just us hanging out together seemed a bit low-quality, we decided to put it on the internet. It was a gathering of people we used to work with.”
Leading the prime of “2 Days & 1 Night”, the reunion of Kang Ho-dong, Lee Soo-geun, Eun Ji-won, Lee Seung-gi and “2 Days & 1 Night” original PD Na Young-seok alone made “New Journey to the West” hot even before it began. With Lee Seung-gi at its core, the lid was opened to a show full of raw laughter.
He adeptly utilized the format of internet broadcasting, adding entertaining remarks and led a joyful journey with his older brothers after a long time apart. Lee Seung-gi enlisted after Season 1 of “New Journey to the West”, and subsequent seasons saw the likes of Ahn Jae-hyun, P.O, Song Mino and Kyuhyun joining. Fans hoped for Lee Seung-gi to return after his military service, but he was a veteran who knew when to participate and when to refrain.
Even PD Na Young-seok once said, “Lee Seung-gi’s vacant spot? Even Yoo Jae-suk couldn’t fill it.” Lee Seung-gi’s presence was significant. Therefore, it’s understandable that he would react with surprise when Shin Hae-sol mentioned “New Journey to the West” in front of him. The two-shot of Lee Seung-gi, who debuted in 2004, getting heated up in front of someone born in 2004 brought joy from the start of “Famous Singers and Street Judges”.
