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| Comedians Kim Yong-man, from left, and Kim Sook and producer Ryu Yeong-u pose for photos during the online press conference of the new talk show "Top Secret," Monday. Courtesy of SBS |
By Lee Gyu-lee
SBS's new talk show "Top Secret," created by Ryu Yeong-u who produced popular investigative journalism shows "Unanswered Questions" and "Curious Stories Y," will share secrets relating to different industries that no one has revealed before.
"Throughout my life, in cases where I had to make certain deals, there were many times I would get ripped off. I thought it would be interesting to get private tutoring from the experts to avoid being duped because of a lack of prior knowledge of the fields that I am not familiar with," producer Ryu said during the online press conference for the show, Monday.
Hosted by comedians Kim Yong-man and Kim Sook, TV personality Kim Dong-hyun, and criminal psychology professor Park Ji-sun, the two-part pilot show invites guests from various industries to share the dark side and behind-the-curtains tricks that are used to deceive consumers.
The first episode will cover the auto industry like car dealerships, towing, car repairs, and the second episode will include topics on settling legal issues in marriage and divorce.
The producer noted that the guests will be wearing masks for protection of their privacy as the topics they discussed on the show might deal a blow to their career as they will reveal industry secrets.
"Having them wear masks is the least we could do to protect their identity… and it actually helped the guests to be more comfortable in sharing their stories with the mask," he said.
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| A still from the show with its four hosts Park Ji-sun, from bottom left, Kim Yong-man, Kim Sook, and Kim Dong-hyun / Courtesy of SBS |
He expressed that his previous experience with investigative journalism shows has given him the idea to create this show.
"When I was covering issues for my previous shows, I would hear a lot of stories that people deep in a certain field would know. So I've tried to recall those stories and work them into this show," he said. "This show is an expose. There are a lot of powerful stories that will be useful in your life. You'll get to know about things that you've never heard anywhere before."
The producer emphasized that his team did extensive research to provide reliable resources for the show.
"We put in our best to cover each issue with an impartial perspective. We've gotten a lot of tip-offs and spent about three months for research and fact checking," he said. "There were a number of people present on the set to cross-check what we discuss during the taping, which went through another round of fact checking before the final edit."
The hosts Kim Yong-man and Kim Sook expressed that the show provided them valuable lessons on issues they were unfamiliar with.
"There were a lot of stories that I was never aware of. As I was filming the show, I realized how blind I have been on so many topics," he said. "(Unlike other investigative shows) which have such shocking cases that would scare you off, 'Top Secret' covers topics directly related to your life."
Kim Sook added that this show is an interesting educational show that will guide you on how to live.
"When you become an adult, it becomes harder to ask other people about certain things, like you are not sure when to seek consultancy from experts. So this is the show that we all need. It makes you ask yourself 'how did I still not know about this,' and teaches you the joy of learning," she said.
The producer lastly expressed that if the show wins the regular spot after the pilots, he hopes to expand on the topics to cover through the show.
"I want to cover a more diverse range of issues and bring real-life cons to the surface," he said.
"Top Secret" premieres on Monday at 10:30 p.m.
