There are many survival TV shows these days. However there is one of them which many college students are interested in, the open recruitment TV show ‘The New Recruit’, which deals with people’s passion for their goal more intensly than others.
The TV show ‘The New Recruit’ finally revealed its final 8 contenders last week: those who passed new competitions every week. We had a chance to interview one of them, our alumna Yun Ha Lee (Korean Literature ‘06) on June 5th, before the recording of the TV show giving a new progressing mission to the final 8 contenders started. Here’s a joyful conversation of the time we shared with Yun Ha Lee, who looks cleaver enough to be an anchorwoman, has exposed her unique personality during competition and yet has a modest and fresh side rather than a confident and chic side of a professional broadcaster.  

I wanted to do something that makes me think ‘I’m great’

Q:I think it shows your confidence that you were willing to submit to a public TV show that so many people are watching.

A: Honestly, I didn’t expect that I would be a final 8. That’s why I could submit without hesitating. My actual goal was passing the 1st camera test, not to be an announcer of 3 public TV channels. I can honestly say I just wanted to do something that makes me think that ‘I’m great!’

Q:Didn’t you feel any burden that every process of the competition is broadcast?
A: I think I’m not a kind of notable person, so I thought that only a few people would be interested in me and didn’t worry about my privacy being revealed. I simply thought: “I’ll just submit to MBC to have an interview and it’s possible that it will be broadcast.’ But now I have a burden on my shoulder because only 8 people are left, and people may think: “Why she is still there?” because many contenders failed to win a competition even though they are so talented.

Q : Then, being an announcer is your oldest dream?

A : I had a dream to be an announcer since 4th grade. There was big speech competition, and I won 1st prize with the material I made myself. At that time my teacher was impressed and recommended me to a broadcasting club. Since then my dream was to be an announcer. Maybe I would have the dream to be an athlete if I could really sprint, right?

Q : Then since when and how did you begin to prepare for your dream?

A : I started right after I graduated from college. At that time, I only knew that I was interested, but since I started attending announcer academy, I realized that a broadcaster needs to care about everything in the world. Since then I began attending events in fields that I wasn’t interested in before like classical music, an art exhibition, sports, and overseas news. I just watch them even if I don’t understand them at all. I think this is very helpful…

Because I love my major so much

Q:Considering that you graduated from college a while ago, you are well-prepared. What kind of student you were?

A:I didn’t do any club activities, and avoided classes which included presentation or team-project assignments. And I didn’t attend MT, but only did the activities of the ‘Korean Language Study Group’, which is the small group of my department. That gave me a good grade, and a few friends who became very close, but it didn’t expand the radius of my life so now I don’t feel complete satisfaction.

Q:I think that it’s helpful that your major was Korean Language and Literlature.

A:No it wasn’t! Because I loved my major so much, I considered changing my pla

ns for attenting graduated school! Ha ha, that’s a joke. I loved Korean language since I was a child so wanting to be an announcer lead me to my major. That’s why I have affection for my major, and I studied the spelling system, standard language, long and short sounds, and foreign language inscription very hard. It’s true that my major was very helpful for me..

I recently shaped my dream through ‘The New Recurit”.

Q:Maybe your knowledge of Korean language is your advantage for this challgenge. Do you think you have any other personal merits?

A:At first, I didn’t recognize what points of mine needed to be emphasized to have appeal, and also it made me feel awkward that I needed to pretend. So my character in the TV show wasn’t any fun for the people so my scenes are not broadcast frequently. However these days, many people praise me about how I speak so fluently. Oh it’s awkward to tell you this myself…

Q:Judges like announcer Bang Hyun-Joo praise you about your bright feeling and energy, is that you actual personality?

A:Well, don’t you think that they can feel my actual personality so they praise me like that? Ha ha. My friends tell me: “I can’t imagine that you’re gloomy.” And I manage my website intensively, so my friends who visit there say they feel happy and joyful. When you are gloomy, you can visit my website!

Q: You have such a cheerful personality. Did you have any interesting episode during the shooting?

A: There was a painful memory rather than an interesting one. I had a really bad sty on my eyelid and my eye got swollen. I have thick eyelids any way. It was really painful to shoot the program after tearing the sty off and trying to hide the swelling and bruise.

Q : It’s been quite a long time since you started the program. Please tell me the toughest and happiest moment throughout the competition.

A : It’s hard to deal with the format of the show ‘Survival.’ Sometimes, I am unable to put up with the moment when some of the companies drop out and go home. I get so tired that I sleep for 2 to 3 days after coming back home from the training camp and the shooting. I even had a dream that the judges told me: “You, OUT!” The happiest moment was when I got praised for having good skills for reading the news. Announcers and companies praised me saying “We were so surprised. We didn’t expect that you would be that good.” Judges’ expectations for me might be pretty low or something. At that time, I was really surprised at my own performance. “Yes. I am pretty good at reading the news.” I think the viewers will evaluate whether I am really great or not. Right?

Q : What did you get from the show ‘The New Recruit’?

A : Companies who have the same dream. I don’t think they are competitors even though there’s a keen competition going on. I learned how to work hard to become an announcer by looking at them. It was a chance for me to re-shape my future. I had a chance to reflect on myself thinking ‘I have dreamed of becoming an announcer, but in a way building castles in the air.’ What I like the most is that I meet MBC announcers personally, learn from them, and have meals together. They look like they’re in another world. I really love it!

I want to become an ‘vitaminlike’ announcer.

Q : There are still a few more competitions left. Please tell us your resolve.

A : At this moment, it is not up to the judges whether I’ll succeed or not. Success depends on the viewer’s vote. Whenever I drop out, I hope it isn’t because I was not good. Whether I am in or not, I will try hard to do myself justice. I will show the viewers what I’ve got.

Q : What kind of Announcer do you want to be in the future?

A : That’s the question that I’ve asked myself many times throughout the show. ‘I want to communicate with a warm heart.’ I know that answer is now too trite. Actually, I want to become an announcer who conveys the full vitality and a pleasurable personality to the viewers. To cheer them up! Like Vitamins! I feel really happy when other people keep their energy up and smile because of my vitality.

Q : Lastly, any worlds for our Kookmin University students?

A : Honestly, I am not the final winner, so it feels awkward to say a word to other students. I will go back to my daily life when the competition’s over. During my freshman year, I took an ‘intelligence and writing’ course. My professor asked the class to write down our determination. Mine was: “It’s my pleasure to get into the Korean Literature Department at Kookmin University where Seok-Hee Son, the successful announcer, graduated from. If I am allowed to hope for more, I want to be a proud and nice alumnus to the students in my department.” I wish you all will treasure all your feelings – the thrill about school, the overflowing joy, the feeling good about yourself – for a long time, just like me as a freshman. Ahh, and…
I want to say this one thing that all girls at Kookmin are so pretty! Ha ha.
 Throughout the short interview, it was a fascinating time to share with her. I think the most beautiful side of her is her attitude that always keeps trying to learn from challenging and competition. You can check out her continuous challenge from MBC’s ‘The New Recruit’, the survival-format show where viewers’ votes by text messages will decide who’s the final winner, on the evening on June 12th. To all the Kookmin people who are faced with harsh competition for getting a job, I hope to say not to fear failure, and try to keep growing with the experience you gain from competition! Way to go!