Travel YouTuber Kwak Joon-bin, left, and EBS producer Song Jun-seob pose for a photo at the press conference for new reality show “Kwak Joon-bin's Diner Tour Around The World” ( translated), in Mapo district, western Seoul, on Monday. (EBS)
Traveling should always be exciting, according to travel YouTuber Kwak Joon-bin, better known for his YouTube channel “Kwaktube.”
“Personally, I don't like just visiting monuments and going to very touristy places, especially since I have already traveled to more than 30 countries,” Kwak told reporters in Mapo district on Monday, west of Seoul. “I'm always looking for something new and I think I've been able to visit some very unusual, authentic and local places for viewers of the upcoming EBS TV show to enjoy.”
“Kwak Joon-bin's Diner Tour Around The World” (translated) debuts on Sunday, featuring Kwak traveling to authentic places in foreign countries only through recommendations from local taxi drivers.
“It was like filming for my YouTube channel, except there were better cameras and I had to be a little more careful with my language,” Kwak said.
Kwak's YouTube channel, “Kwaktube's 'Eat The World',” had 1.6 million subscribers and 300 video clips as of Monday.
Travel YouTuber Kwak Joon-bin speaks to the press at the press conference. (EBS)
Show producer Song Jun-seob said he wanted to do a show with Kwak because of his warm affability with locals, which was showcased in Kwak's YouTube videos.
“He’s funny but doesn’t cross the line to be funny,” he said. “I particularly found his interactions with the taxi drivers very amusing and wanted to bring that to the show.”
Kwak not only receives recommendations from taxi drivers, but he also eats with them and visits places rarely visited by tourists, such as a fortune teller or a nursing home.
“I think viewers (of the upcoming show) will find our show very different from other travel reality shows, because we really try to experience the authentic culture of the countries through the locals,” Song said.
Scenes from EBS's upcoming reality show “Kwak Joon-bin's Diner Tour Around The World” (translated) (EBS)
Kwak is relatively fluent in English and Russian after majoring in Russian language and business at the Busan University of Foreign Studies. He also briefly worked at the Azerbaijani embassy before becoming a YouTuber in 2020.
The destinations he is expected to visit on the show are places Kwak has not yet uploaded on his YouTube channel.
The first country Kwak will visit is Hong Kong.
Episodes are broadcast every Sunday at 10 p.m. on EBS.
BY LEE JIAN (lee.jian@joongang.co.kr)
