Running Man

I only watch a couple of Korean variety shows, and besides We Got Married, Running Man is my absolute favorite. For starters, I have literally snorted laughing during every episode (and to date that's 39). The concept is kind of hard to explain, but basically the cast of the show is split into teams who compete against each other in various games.

Hot Pants Punishment

Whoever ends up being the overall losers get punished. The punishments are pretty silly, and they almost always involve the losers wearing hot pants or long underwear in public. The games change up every couple of months to keep the show feeling fresh, but one of the most popular games has been bells hide and seek. One team is the seeking team and they have to wear bells on their shoes. The other team is the mission team and they have to complete a task while hiding from the seeking team. It doesn't sound too funny when I write it, but trust me when I say it is!

Let me introduce the cast to you...

Yoo Jae Suk

 

 Yoo Jae Suk is really famous in Korea. He is known as the "national MC", and I guess the only person I can compare him to is Ryan Seacrest (if Ryan Seacrest was funny). He is considered to be the host of Running Man and is normally one of the team leaders. He is known for being physically weak, which leads to some funny moments during the games. In some of the episodes the cast parody American action stars, and when this happens Jae Suk becomes "Yoo-ruce Willis"! 

 

Kim Jong Kook

 

Kim Jong Kook is normally the other team leader on the show. He is really strong and is known for working out. As far as parodies go, Kim Jong Kook is known as "Sparta-Kooks" from the movie 300 because he is as strong and fierce as Gerard Butler in that movie. 

 

Ji Suk Jin

 

Ji Suk Jin is the oldest member of the running man cast. Because of this he does not perform as well as the others in most of the physical challenges and is almost always the first to be eliminated. He is very good friends with Jae Suk and always wants to be around him. Suk Jin does not really parody anyone, but he has the nickname "Big Nose Hyung" (Hyung = older brother). 

 

Kang Gary

 

Gary is one of my favorite cast members. He is not one of the smarter members, but since he is normally under the command of Kim Jong Kook he does pretty well for himself. I think Gary got to parody in only one episode, but his parody name was my favorite by far. Get ready for it.... "Gae-colas Cage", as in Nicolas Cage! Gary is also known as the "Monday Boyfriend" because of his relationship with Ji Hyo

 

Ha Ha

 

Ha Ha is always under the command of Kim Jong Kook with Gary. He is known for acting like a child, and his occasional angry outbursts. Come parody time, Ha Ha becomes "Ha-rad Pitt". Although, I much prefer hsi other nick name...

 

 

Haroro is born!

"Haroro"! Ha Ha got the name "Haroro" due to his similar appearance to Pororo the little penguin. Pororo is actually a really great children's show. I have watched a couple of episodes because many people watch it to help them learn Korean.

Lee Kwang Soo

Kwang Soo is the awkward member of the show. He loves to try and help out, but fails. Along with Suk Jin, he is normally one of the first to be eliminated. Kwang Soo likes to spread false, silly rumors about the other cast members that normally don't make any sense. He is also the same age as Joong Ki, which many people don't believe! Another great thing about Kwang Soo (unrelated to Running Man) is that he is on City Hunter with Lee Min Ho! I was so excited and happy when I started watching and I saw Kwang Soo!

Song Ji Hyo

Ji Hyo is the only female cast member. She is sometimes referred to as "Blank" Ji Hyo because of her confused facial expressions. However, when it comes to the games she is known as "Ace" Ji Hyo because she is typically the best player besides Kim Jong Kook. Ji Hyo is also part of the "Monday Couple" with Gary. They are called the "Monday Couple" because they only show interest in each other on Mondays when Running Man is being filmed. 

Song Joong Ki

Joong Ki recently left the show in order to focus more on his acting career. However, he was on for more than 40 episodes! He has a couple of nick names, the first one is "Flower Joong Ki", because he is as handsome as a flower. The second nick name is "Brain Joong Ki" because he is so smart. His third is "Active Young Man", or "Enthusiastic Joong Ki" because he is always one of the first to want to try new things. He thinks that he will do very well, but he fails almost every time. He also sometimes flirts with Ji Hyo which gets Gary jealous. 

I hope you feel like you understand Running Man a bit better now. Also every week they have a special guest. I am excited because on some upcoming episodes Nichkhun, Taecyeon, and Kim Hyun Joong will guest! If you would like to watch Running Man check out isubs as they subtitle every episode!

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