Director Park Chan Wook and actor Lee Byung Hun are teaming up once again, this time on television.
Ahead of the September release of their new film No Other Choice, Park and Lee have confirmed a joint appearance on tvN’s You Quiz on the Block. The episode is set to tape on August 20th as part of the movie’s promotional campaign.
This follows their recent guest shoot with the entire No Other Choice team on producer Na Young Seok’s YouTube “fullmoon.” Known for his respect for comedians and variety shows—he memorably cast Kim Shin Young in Decision to Leave—Park will now sit down directly with hosts Yoo Jae Suk and Cho Sae Ho.
For Lee Byung Hun, the You Quiz taping will be his second time, following his 2023 appearance that marked his return to variety television after a whole decade. Appearing alongside Park this time adds even more meaning, given their long creative history.
The pair’s collaboration stretches back 25 years to Joint Security Area (2000), which became a career-defining hit for both. They went on to work together again in the omnibus Three… Extremes (2004). Now, No Other Choice marks their third project together—and their first in nearly a decade.
At a special GV earlier this year commemorating Joint Security Area as part of CJ ENM’s 30th anniversary “Visionary” selection, Lee joked: “It was the perfect combination—a director who had bombed two films and an actor who had completely tanked three.” The film remains Park’s highest-grossing title to date.
In No Other Choice, set to open in September, Lee Byung Hun stars as Man Soo, a man who believed he had achieved everything—until an unexpected layoff forces him into a desperate fight to protect his wife, two children, and the home he worked so hard to secure.
In a separate announcement on Monday, tvN revealed the show has also secured an interview with one of the most influential figures in the world: Bill Gates.
A pioneer of the PC revolution as the co-founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates has spent recent decades as a leading philanthropist through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He focuses on tackling global challenges, including public health, climate change, and poverty, and recently made headlines by pledging to give 99% of his personal fortune back to society.
Nam Seung Yong, a senior executive at tvN’s parent company CJ ENM, explained how the remarkable interview came together, noting a shared philosophy between the show and the Gates Foundation.
“You Quiz on the Block is a program that respects the value of every life and promotes understanding by sharing diverse stories,” Nam said. “We found common ground with the Gates Foundation’s guiding principle that ‘every life has equal value.’” He added, “We are honored to host Bill Gates on You Quiz, a figure who connects the world with technology and changes it with philanthropy.”
In what is already being anticipated as another legendary episode, Bill Gates’s appearance on You Quiz on the Block is also scheduled to air later this month.
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