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Ex-KBS Presenter Tackles Challenge of Presenting Show in English

Han Suk-joon left terrestrial channel KBS in 2015 after working as presenter for 12 years and has now embarked on a new project, presenting a consumer show in English for Arirang TV.

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In "Prosumer Lab 101", Han tests creative new products from small and medium-sized companies with non-Korean panelists. Products have included an electric wristband that improves posture, a digital facial mask pack, and a mirror that allows users to take notes.

Arirang TV is being aired in 105 countries but gets more views on YouTube and Facebook these days. The program has been getting good reviews from overseas viewers, opening their eyes to new products they can look out for when they visit Korea.

Han lived in English-speaking countries for a year while he was in middle school and for another year when he was at university.

The show's producer Hwang Ung-ki said, "We wanted a Korean presenter who can introduce Korean products. We had some concerns at the beginning, but Han has exceeded our expectations".

Han reveled in the challenge. His maternal grandfather was a correspondent for the Associated Press during the Korean War, and his father a professor of Italian at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.

"My father used to watch AFKN on TV at home, and say, 'Let's see how the U.S. views political issues in Korea.' That made it easy for me to become comfortable with foreign languages", Han recalls. "Speaking English well is one thing, but presenting a program in English is a whole different thing".

Because he tests products live, there is a limit to what scripts can do. "One important quality for a presenter is to treat the same topics in different ways every time. It's quite difficult for me with my current English skills. I watch American soap operas when I have time to get more ideas and learn new expressions".

"Thankfully, I heard that in the U.S. these days, exotic accents of people with expertise appeal to viewers. Korean viewers also like watching foreigners speak Korean on TV, even if they can't speak it fluently, so I try to stay positive and confident in front of foreign audiences".

Han also went to China to study Chinese five years ago. His tip for learning a new language is not just to memorize vocabulary but whole sentences. "People from my generation became familiar with the American lifestyle and language by watching programs like 'Remington Steele' and 'V.' I hope Korean TV programs can do the same for viewers in other parts of the globe, and I want to be part of the process", he concludes.

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