In a post-season wrap-up interview, Park Hyun Yong, director of Jinny’s Kitchen 2, recently addressed the controversy surrounding Go Min Si‘s alleged overwork during the show.
This season, which featured the opening of a second branch in Iceland, saw Go Min Si joining the cast as an intern, stepping in for BTS’s V (Kim Tae Hyung), who was unable to participate due to his military service.
Park explained why Go Min Si was chosen, saying, “Honestly, there were a lot of reasons, but the biggest one was finding someone who could really mesh with the cast. Go Min Si fit the bill. She’s got a lot of experience with part-time jobs, so I figured she could handle the work.” He continued, “I also heard she worked well with older co-stars while filming Smugglers. There’s a 25-year age gap between her and Lee Seo Jin, so I thought they’d get along. She ended up doing even better than I expected, and I’m happy viewers reacted positively.”
When discussing the differences between V and Go Min Si as interns, Park noted, “They’re clearly different characters. If V is more free-spirited, Go Min Si is more on the ball and precise. It’s like comparing two new Gen Z hires at the same company. But to be honest, I didn’t work with V, so it feels odd comparing them. I thought of him as a kind of imaginary character.”
Go Min Si’s hard work didn’t go unnoticed, as she took on various tasks around the restaurant, often seen working without much downtime. This led to some viewers raising concerns about her being overworked.
Addressing the “overwork controversy,” Park shared his surprise: “Honestly, I was really shocked when I saw those comments. I didn’t expect people to see it that way, and I actually felt bad for the other cast members. From our side, everyone put in a lot of effort. I think because Go Min Si was new and doing such a great job, viewers ended up focusing more on her. We, as the production team, should’ve managed that better. I just feel bad because everyone worked so hard, probably even more than they had on their past projects.”
>> ‘Jinny’s Kitchen 2’ Viewers React to Go Min Si’s Heavy Workload and Team Dynamics
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