Yoo Jae-suk hopes ‘The Zone: Survival Mission 2’ will be global hit

Making a Disney+ return with “The Zone: Survival Mission 2,” comedian Yoo Jae-suk hopes Korean variety shows would one day reach the same heights of popularity that Korean dramas and films have around the world.

“I still believe we (entertainment shows) have a long way to go to impress both local and global viewers," Yoo said in a press conference held at JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square in Jongno-gu, central Seoul, on Tuesday.

"I, of course, wish my upcoming show to be a global hit. But, I believe that the efforts to showcase more various entertainment programs to the global viewers will pave the way to creating a Korean variety program with mega success.”

The 52-year-old added that the survival missions the cast take part in the show are of much bigger scale than in the previous season and asked viewers to look forward to it.

“The Zone: Survival Mission 2” presents a star-studded cast -- Yoo, actors Lee Kwang-soo and Kwon Yuri -- as they navigate different catastrophic situations in eight disaster scenarios for four hours.

“The basic format remains the same in the upcoming show,” said star TV director Cho Hyo-jin.

“But we were able to shoot the program in various areas as the COVID-19 pandemic almost came to an end.”

Cho, who produced SBS’ “Running Man” from 2010 to 2014 and was behind the Netflix variety program “Busted!” (2018), said finding the appropriate locations to shoot was challenging in the first season. But, as many of COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, the production team was able to visit many cities and prepare large-scale missions.

“The Zone: Survival Mission 2” was filmed in Incheon, Ilsan (Gyeonggi Province), Seoul, Daejeon, Dangjin (South Chungcheong Province), Mungyeong (North Gyeongsang Province), Wonju (Gangwon Province) and Busan.

“Many places, that we have visited to shoot the program, are open to tourists. I believe the beautiful sides of our country will be featured throughout the series. Visiting those sites might be another way to enjoy the show,’” co-director Kim Dong-jin said.

Kwon also said viewers can expect more entertainment to come.

“We simply had to endure four hours in season 1. But, we received new quests, which allow the cast to save time after accomplishing the mission. Of course, the remaining time increases as we fail to complete the mission,” Kwon said.

Though Cho was hesitant to say which season he found more entertaining, he was certain that season 2 was an upgrade from the first.

"The three stars were close friends in season 1. But in season 2, they are real brothers and sister. They create great synergy together. And ‘The Zone: Survival Mission 2’ was no different. Please look forward to the show,” Cho said.

The eight-part variety show will be available exclusively on Disney+ at 4 p.m. on Wednesday.