[Exclusive] Lee Soo-geun, End of Rift with Producer Na Young-seok… Heads to Kenya with Eun Ji-won and Kyu-hyun for ‘New Journey to the West’ Spin-off
The spin-off of ‘New Journey to the West,’ titled ‘Three Meals in Kenya,’ has started filming.
According to OSEN’s report on the 14th, Lee Soo-geun, Eun Ji-won, and Kyu-hyun recently left Korea to film the spin-off ‘Three Meals in Kenya.’ This marks the end of the rumored rift between Lee Soo-geun and Producer Na Young-seok. Previously, during an appearance on a variety show, Lee Soo-geun was asked about the alleged conflict with Na Young-seok and stated, “It’s been 6 years since we last did the ‘New Journey to the West’ series. People ask if something happened or why we aren’t doing it anymore.”
Lee Soo-geun explained, “Producer Na does a lot of programs. Sometimes schedules get pushed back while waiting for our turn. It’s not like I can clear my schedule immediately, so that’s why it got delayed,” adding, “We even went on a trip recently. We only haven’t been working together on shows, but we continue to meet personally.”
‘Three Meals in Kenya’ was created as a reward program for winning on tvN’s ‘New Journey to the West 7’ in 2019. At that time, Kyu-hyun won the race and chose the ‘Kenya Giraffe Hotel Stay’ as his prize, confirming the Kenyan trip for Kyu-hyun, Lee Soo-geun, and Eun Ji-won.
However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the spin-off’s production was delayed, and it seemed the show was going to be canceled, but it has now resumed production after six years. Lee Soo-geun, Eun Ji-won, and Kyu-hyun are expected to showcase great chemistry during their Kenyan adventure.
Meanwhile, the original ‘New Journey to the West’ series last aired in its 8th season in the latter half of 2020, and no new series has aired in over five years. As many continue to await ‘New Journey to the West Season 9,’ there is anticipation that ‘Three Meals in Kenya’ could lead to a new series.