My Name Is Gabriel: 36-year-old Ji Chang-wook’s Life as a Chaebol Son-in-Law

The press conference for JTBC’s latest variety show “My Name Is Gabriel”took place on June 20th at the Stanford Hotel in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul. In attendance were PDs Kim Tae-ho and Lee Tae-kyung, along with cast members Park Myung-soo, Hong Jin-kyung, Ji Chang-wook, Dex, Gabee, and Defconn.

“In “My Name Is Gabriel,”the cast is immersed in the life of a different individual from the world’s 8 billion people for 72 hours in an observational reality show.”

Ji Chang-wook revealed that during his time in Tequila, Mexico, he lived the life of ‘Pepe’. It had been a while since he last participated in a variety show, so he felt unskilled and uncomfortable. At the beginning, he didn’t feel pressured, but as the filming went on, he became quite flustered.

He stated that living someone else’s life is not a simple task and he lacked any knowledge about it.

He recounted, “It was a challenge to piece together someone’s life. The task was also quite arduous. Director Kim Tae-ho explained that he paired us according to our natural inclinations, but being my first time, it was incredibly challenging.”

During filming, Park Myung-soo humorously recounted his struggles as he portrayed “Utti”, a Somtam vendor in Chiang Mai, Thailand. He remembered almost letting out a curse due to the difficulties he faced. He also mentioned that his portrayal was so convincing that even the Thai people were scared and ran away.

Similarly, Park Myung-soo reflected on his time on “Infinite Challenge” , during which he had the opportunity to live as an orthopedic surgeon and experience the fulfillment of seeing a patient recover. In his current project, he played the role of a Somtam seller and was also the head of a household, with his wife being 28 years old.

In contrast, Ji Chang-wook’s comments during his interview with Director Kim Tae-ho sparked laughter. While Ji Chang-wook did mention that “celebrities need to face challenges for viewers to truly enjoy their performances”during their hour-long conversation, he clarified that he was speaking generally and not about his own experiences. He expressed regret for his statement and instead shared that he had worked hard and enjoyed the filming process.

The premiere of JTBC’s new variety show “My Name Is Gabriel”is scheduled for June 21st at 8:50 PM.