Kai, a member of the group EXO, has been reborn as a ‘variety idol’.Having not been active in anything other than the music stage since his debut, he has recently caught the attention of viewers by standing out on variety shows.

Unlike his previous appearances on entertainment programs to promote his solo album, which was released after two years, he has been leading the web entertainment program ‘Ex-Convict: A Man Who Does Ex-Convicts Every Day’ (Ex-Convict)as a new ‘ex-convict’ since last month.

‘Jeon Gwaja’ is a program that reviews departments at universities across the country, and it is one of the most popular entertainment shows on YouTube, easily garnering over 2 million views per episode.BTOB member Lee Chang-sub has been leading the program since 2022, and Kai is stepping up as his successor as ‘2nd Jeon Gwaja’.

The reason Kai is receiving attention through ‘Ex-Convict’ is because he shows an honest and candid side that only a fixed fan base can see.Fans are responding with, “I was worried because he was following Lee Chang-sub, but he’s funnier than most comedians”, “This is the first time I realized he was this kind of character”, “He became even more sly after being discharged”, and “I didn’t know his sincere attitude and passionate appearance would be funny.”


In particular, when Kai appeared on JTBC entertainment program ‘Knowing Bros’ with EXO members in 2019, he even brought back the quirky charm of ‘two letters inside the panties’ that he created in the corner ‘Scream in the Silence’, and it seems like this will be a turning point for Kai’s solo career rather than as a member of EXO.

‘Two letters inside the panties’ is a scene where Kai misheard the suggested word ‘something to put inside padding’ (hot pack)and answered, “Two letters inside the panties?” It is being talked about a lot on various SNS and internet bulletin boards in conjunction with the popularity of ‘Ex-Convict’.



Reporter Lee Jeong- annjoy@donga.com

This article is automatically translated using Google AI. If you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know at allkstar@donga.com.