‘Neighbor Charles’ Episode 529
At 7:40 p.m. on the 19th, Episode 529 of KBS1 ‘Neighbor Charles’ will feature Canada-born Michael, the ‘bearded harubang’ who, with his Jeju dialect patch complete, chats with haenyeo.
On the small screen unfolds the daily life of Michael, a 190 cm giant from Canada in his 18th year of living in Jeju, who roams traditional shamanic gut rituals.
KBS ‘Neighbor Charles’, a real-life account of foreign neighbors settling in Korea, is presenting a four-part special ‘My Hometown Charles’, meeting ‘native Charles’ who have taken root across the country, in celebration of Family Month.
The second protagonist airing this day is Michael, a Canada-born Jeju native of 18 years, who receives abundant love from neighborhood elders not only for his fluent Jeju dialect but also for his easygoing charm. The cheerful daily life of ‘Ma PD’chattering in Jeju with haenyeo grandmothers and crisscrossing Jeju to filmwill be revealed.
‘Neighbor Charles’ Episode 529
Brian, with his irreplaceable entertainment flair, Elodie, who laughed and cried along with Michael’s story and showed deep empathy, and announcer Im Ji-woong with smooth hosting, joined to complete an even more colorful and warm studio story.
Standing 190 cm with a bushy beard, Michael is a ‘true’ Jeju islander who has never lived on the Korean mainland. He deftly converses in Jeju with haenyeo grandmothers he meets on set, showing off his ‘max-level Jeju’ prowess.
Active as a video production PD in Jeju, he also devotes himself to documenting Jeju’s precious cultural heritage whenever he can. This broadcast vividly introduces Michael’s daily life as he ranges from underwater filming of haenyeo at work to scenes of traditional Jeju gut rituals.
‘Ma PD’ is also set to capture viewers’ attention with his unique way of working. For the 190 cm, 95 kg giant, his beloved shooting gear is none other than a tiny compact car. When filming from high angles, Michael strides up onto the compact car’s roof and uses the vehicle like a massive tripod.
‘Neighbor Charles’ Episode 529
It is said the studio was thrown into an uproar at the sight of him briskly punching out the dents his bulk made in the compact car’s roof to restore it. As the CEO running a one-person production company, he also keeps a separate luxury sedan to drive to meetings where he needs to present a professional image, adding a twist to his charm.
Michael has a distinctive shooting method on location. Before the main filming, he personally helps with the participants’ work to build deep rapport. Even at a shoot on Udo with a traditional stone wall specialist, he carried heavy stones until he was dripping with sweat before picking up the camera. Thanks to Michael’s sincere approach, the participants actively cooperated with direction, yielding even more vivid results.
Michael’s sociable neighborhood life, fully immersed in Jeju’s distinctive community culture, also brings big laughs. His knack for connecting is on display as he receives green onions and kumquats from an elderly neighbor and confidently takes cabbages from the field next door. In particular, the sight of a Canadian seating his Korean younger brotherwho is new to life in Jejuat his regular restaurant and cheekily teaching him about Jeju traditional dishes like ‘momguk’ and ‘gosari yukgaejang’ is sure to make viewers smile.
Although Michael always appears cheerful, hidden pain lies behind his deep roots in Jeju. After his father suddenly passed away from brain cancer, he was hit by pneumonia, a motorcycle accident, and debts totaling 30 million won, and had to endure harsh trials. In a foreign land, when his body and mind were collapsing, it was Jeju’s beautiful natureresembling his hometownthat lifted him back up. His moving story of resolutely overcoming pain as he captured the stars of the dark night sky through his lens is expected to offer viewers warm comfort.
‘Neighbor Charles’ Episode 529
Michael PD’s cheerful yet touching storyperfectly blended into Jeju’s tight-knit neighborhood community with his trademark wit and finding warm solace in nature that resembles his hometown, becoming a true localcan be seen at 7:40 p.m. on Tuesday, May 19 on KBS1 ‘Neighbor Charles’.
