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| yna@yna.co.kr 2026-08-12 15:12:04
SEOUL, Aug. 12 (Yonhap) -- "I imagined the four shedding tears and becoming a family while climbing a snow-covered mountain. But when I had members with little variety show experience do what is considered the standard format of variety shows, the result was completely different."
Singer Car, the garden, DAY6 member Dowoon, actor Lee Chae-min and AllDay Project member Tarzan are set to climb snow-covered mountains in the middle of winter. Lee, who is making his variety show debut, and Car, the garden, Dowoon and Tarzan, who have had relatively little exposure on variety programs, have teamed up with star producer Na Young-seok to take on some of South Korea's most famous mountains.
Even for Na, a 26-year veteran of variety shows, the four are unpredictable "people of today." Rather than being moved to tears by a sunrise after a grueling early-morning hike, their raw reaction of "I don't even want to look at it" was an outcome he did not expect, despite his familiarity with all kinds of unexpected situations.
At a press event for Netflix's variety show "Why the Heck Are We Hiking?" in Seoul's Mapo district, Na said Wednesday that "time, people and the variety show environment have changed," adding, "I believe people are everything in a variety show, and I'm lucky to be working with these four new faces."
Premiering Aug. 18, "Why the Heck Are We Hiking?" follows people who have never been interested in hiking as they embark on their first-ever winter mountain expedition. Na and producer Park Hyun-yong co-directed the program.
"There aren't many countries where people pack kimbap and ramen and head to the mountains like we do," Park said. "We will showcase Korea's unique K-hiking culture."
The show's appeal comes from the cast's unwilling participation in the mountain climbs.
Car, the garden and Dowoon joked that they had considered quitting the program, calling it a "job scam" and saying, "Even after we got up the mountain, all we could think about was wanting to go straight back down."
Lee also recalled feeling "dizzy and very worried," but said, "The more we climbed, the closer I became with the other members, and we developed a sense of camaraderie like comrades in arms."
Na expressed confidence that the cast represents a new generation of faces that will lead Korean variety shows. Their freshness, untouched to a large extent by variety show producers, and their ability to surprise viewers are their strengths, he said.
"My goal was to create the next-generation variety show group that will lead Korea for the next 10 years," he said. "I'm convinced their potential is enormous."
"Hiking is only the beginning. The title implies that we're going to change just the word 'hiking,'" he added, hinting at plans to continue the "Why the Heck" project. "My dream is to build this for 10 years with Netflix and these members."
The program will also feature the beautiful winter landscapes of some of Korea's most iconic mountains, including Seoraksan, Taebaeksan and Hallasan.
Lee teased that viewers will see "beautiful snow-covered mountain scenery that will cool you down completely in the middle of a hot summer, while you're sitting comfortably in a cool room."
"Why the Heck Are We Hiking?" is Na's third collaboration with Netflix, following "Korea No. 1" and "Lee Seo-jin's Restaurant."
"We received Netflix's full support and filmed it with incredibly good cameras," he said. "The visuals will be spectacular. Even if the program isn't entertaining, you could leave it playing on mute and still find it worth watching."
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