[Interview conducted by Kim Ji Eun of eDaily] "Every week is critical. Since I started this job until now, there has never been a moment where I felt completely at ease." Yoo Jae Suk is easily one of the top two MC's in Korea, along with fellow colleague Kang Ho Dong. When we asked about his consistently increasing success as an entertainment MC, he surprised us by revealing how every episode's filming was distressing. Because he is given credit for high broadcast ratings and being the number one MC choice amongst most, if not all, production crews, naturally it would be assumed that he is comfortable, or at least confident. We were taken aback when he spoke about how anxious he really was, week after week. "I don't know when this career as an MC will be taken from me," he said, "instead of looking ahead, it's important that I do the best I can in the present, every single time."  This seems to be the reason why he has been able to maintain his status as Korea's best MC for ten straight years. Recently, we interviewed Yoo at MBC's Dream Center in his private room before he went on set for 'Come to Play'. We felt the timing was appropriate; it was July and eDaily was celebrating 11 years of publication in a daily newspaper after being established as an online media source, and Yoo had something to celebrate as well. Three years ago in July was a major turning point for Yoo, as he married the popular TV news anchor, Na Kyung Eun. Using our common denominator as an excuse, we approached him for an interview. However, Yoo Jae Suk hasn't done an interview in close to ten years. We knew that if we called and tried to schedule ahead of time, he would refuse. So we showed up unannounced and invited ourselves into his room at MBC. He stated that a guy like him who hung on to every shoot he did for dear life had no business doing an interview. But we pushed our recent success to at least try and get a few congratulatory words from him, and reminded him that we have built a good relationship with Yoo over the years and he eventually caved. Yoo sincerely congratulated eDaily, and wished us much support & success as a source of media. This, is how we began our interview. ? Not because of me, but because of those around me. Yoo is capable of turning every show he MC's into a long running TV program with high ratings. 'Come to Play' debuted in 2004, while 'Infinite Challenge' debuted in 2005. Both are still on air, and remain popular. We asked Yoo, (the core of these shows, really), what he credited to the success of these programs. "I can always put my best foot forward but that wouldn't be enough to carry the show. The guests on the show, and the production crew... we all have to work well together. Viewers can sense the good chemistry and give us good support. That's why we've been able to be on the air for so long." When asked if he was being too modest, he replied:  "When people think less of themselves and begin to think of what's best for the program, the end result is guaranteed. Infinite Challenge was difficult for us for about a year but after some perseverance, we were shocked at how much support we started receiving." His answer mirrored the image he carried on TV. Humble and easy-going, giving others the credit and spotlight. "When I was a nobody, I prayed that if I were ever given a chance at fame, I would never become arrogant and bring any glory to myself. I promised myself that I would never forget about the people around me." He continued by saying that when he thinks back upon those days, the present time seems a bit surreal. Yoo is truly putting into practice the pledge he made before his glory days. ? From grasshopper suit to Top MC In 1991, Yoo Jae Suk debuted on a KBS sketch program where there was a corner in which he dressed as a grasshopper. The name unfortunately stuck with him. But those were arduous times for Yoo. "Every single day was difficult. I couldn't even say that I wanted to be on TV programs because I was a nobody. Other than being a comedian, there was no other career I'd ever even thought about. I was given rare opportunities to make show appearances every now and then, but because they weren't consistently being given to me, I wondered if I should even continue on this career path." In retrospect, he admits that he finds being an MC more suiting for himself versus being a comedian. After a long season of being a nobody, a door opened for him. He has an opportunity to start his career as an MC, and he accepted. In 1990, when working side by side with Seo Sae Won on the 'Seo Sae Won Show', it was then he realized how much he enjoyed being an MC. After that, he became a proper & official emcee when 'Truth or Dare 'debuted in July of 1999. It's been a full eleven years since his career as an emcee took off. Since then, he hasn't experienced too many bumps in his career, and eventually made it all the way to the top. When asked what his philosophy was, he replied: "I think that everyone on the program and watching the program alike need to enjoy themselves. I tend to not ask questions that would make my guests feel uncomfortable, but I've noticed that a lot of times, you don't need to ask. They eventually bring up the issue on their own." Source & Image : StarIn via Nate