KBS ‘Gag Concert’. MBN ‘Teukjongsesang’ broadcast screen.

An update on comedian Kim Soo-young has been made public. Having left the stage, he is currently traveling nationwide and continuing a life of selling kitchenware.

On the 12th, the MBN variety show ‘Teukjongsesang’ featured the daily life of Kim Soo-young, who is working as a household goods salesperson.

MBN ‘Teukjongsesang’ broadcast screen.

That day, Kim began his day by waking at 2:30 a.m. After moving the items stacked in the warehouse to a vehicle and finishing preparations for sales, he drove for as long as five hours to a regional mart. Even in challenging conditions, he approached customers with his characteristic affability, and a fan who recognized him was also captured purchasing a product.

A scene of him cooking ramen himself for his colleagues also showed his unchanging warmth. His colleagues offered words of support, saying, “We want to see you doing comedy on TV again,” and Kim expressed his intention to return, saying, “If an offer comes in, I want to do it again anytime.”

MBN ‘Teukjongsesang’ broadcast screen.

Kim also opened up about the poverty of his childhood.

He recalled, “Our circumstances were so difficult that I could not attend private academies or go to college. The five of us lived in a one-room.” He said, “I started working in trash collection at 19, worked for three years at a junk shop, and gave the money I earned to my parents,” and added, “After that, I went up to Seoul with only 50,000 won for fare and achieved my dream by passing the open recruitment exam for comedians.”

Kim Soo-young and Yoo Min-sang. KBS2 variety show ‘Gag Concert’ screen.

However, in 2020, when ‘Gag Concert’ was canceled, his life underwent another major change. Kim said, “I could not believe the program would disappear. I shed so many tears,” and added, “When the workplace vanished, I wanted to deny reality,” sharing how he felt at the time.

Afterward, he tried his hand at a banana distribution business to make a living, but due to the impact of COVID-19, he experienced failure and even took on debt. To make up for it, he began selling kitchenware, and he is currently traveling around the country selling household goods.

At the end of the broadcast, Kim wrapped up his day by focusing on sales right up to closing time. Even after leaving the stage, he was quietly continuing his life in a new place.

Meanwhile, born in 1987, Kim was a ssireum (Korean wrestling) athlete through his high school years, and in 2011 he debuted as a 26th class KBS open-recruitment comedian. Later, on ‘Gag Concert’, he won public affection with characters that made use of his heavy build and with the ‘Father and Son’ segment alongside Yoo Min-sang.