Korean stars Yoo Jae-suk, Lee Kwangsoo and Kwon Yuri are back in the variety show “The Zone: Survival Mission 2,” now available on Disney+.
The three star in the eight-episode show that features an upgraded AI 2.0 that sets a series of increasingly difficult challenges and see them travel to some of Korea’s most unique destinations as they fight to survive.
Yoo Jae-suk, Lee Kwangsoo and Kwon Yuri in Disney+'s “The Zone: Survival Mission 2” (Disney+)
“The Zone: Survival Mission 2” will see the Yoo Jae-suk, Lee Kwangsoo and Kwon Yuri in a variety of hilarious situations as they search for life-saving water in a haunted hospital; and desperately play golf in an attempt to escape a rapidly sinking island in the middle of the ocean.
They will also recreate a series of childhood games on a shaking suspension bridge; try to escape a waterpark full of zombies; and attempt to survive on a traveling bed that’s been hijacked by a rogue AI, that drives the trio through a university campus, venturing into classrooms, crashing them through walls, driving them into a lake, and more.
During a press conference in Seoul for “The Zone: Survival Mission 2,” the three stars said season 2 will show that they have more chemistry compared to season 1 and promised that the new season will be more challenging.
“Same with season 2, we have to hold it out for four hours in the unknown. The scale and everything else, it’s been kicked up a notch. We were really surprised at the level and the scale of the show. Sometimes we were scared, surprised, taken aback,” said Yoo Jae-suk.
Lee Kwangsoo at the press conference (Disney+)
Yoo Jae-suk at the press conference (Disney+)
Kwon Yuri at the press conference (Disney+)
The cast with directors Cho Hyojin and Kim Dongjin (Disney+)
About completing the missions, he added, “I am a big coward. I get scared all the time. To me, all the missions were really scary and surprising.”
Yuri said season 2 “has been upgraded so the missions have been kicked up a level. If we don’t complete the mission, the time is extended.”
Yoo Jae-suk and Kwangsoo revealed that during filming in a campus, they saw a couple who turned out to be getting married that day and were not part of the cast. They asked their permission to film.
Kwangsoo said Yoo Jae-suk gave a congratulatory cash gift to the couple out of his own pocket.
Chemistry
Kwangsoo, Yoo Jae-suk and Yuri have been collectively nicknamed “SooYooRi” by fans.
Kwangsoo praised Yuri for being thoughtful, saying, “Even when we are traveling by ourselves, or national holidays, sometimes Yuri would bring us gifts. She just thinks a lot about us.”
“Yeah because I want them to be healthy and stay strong because we have to survive and make it in the missions,” she said of Kwangsoo and Yoo Jae-suk.
About their chemistry on the show, Yoo Jae-suk said, “We depend on each other very much on set because we have to hold it out in extreme situations. It’s tough but because of the chemistry that we have ourselves, we were able to hold it out.”
(From top) Kwon Yuri, Yoo Jae-suk and Lee Kwangsoo (Disney+)
Director Cho Hyo-jin explained what makes “The Zone: Survival Mission 2” unique compared to other shows with escape themes.
“Just like season 1, it’s not just about escape rooms but holding it out for a certain number of hours. That’s the one that really sets our show apart. And we have some added-on devices to this season. In season 2, the chemistry among the trio is even more natural and even more fun to watch. In season 2, they are really like family,” he said.
The producers were asked what they focused on since “The Zone: Survival Mission 2” will be available globally through Disney+.
Director Kim Dongjin said just like in season 1, they used less captions on the show since global fans would watch the show on Disney+ with subtitles.
“I thought without the captions, it would work because they are already reading from the subtitles. Because Disney+ goes global, I knew there would be subtitles. The visuals can display everything so I wanted to use a lot of visuals instead of captions,” he said.
Yoo Jae-suk said even before season 1 aired, Disney+ confirmed that they would be having season 2 “so I’m very thankful for that.”
In season 2, he said, “I personally think that I have become braver. I gained a little bit more courage.”
“The Zone: Survival Mission 2” is produced by Studio Gaon, directed by Cho Hyojin and Kim Dongjin, and is created by the original team behind the wildly popular “Running Man” franchise.
The series launched on Disney+ with three episodes on June 14 to be followed by a new episode every week.