Jeon Hyun-moo was extremely nervous about his soccer commentator debut and made a series of gaffes.
On the 31st episode of KBS 2TV's "The Boss's Ears Are Donkey's Ears," Jeon Hyun-moo, who will be broadcasting the 2026 World Cup in North and Central America, was shown making his debut as a soccer broadcaster.
On this day, Jeon visited the Munsu World Cup Stadium in Ulsan. "I had a lot of intuition, but it was my first time to work," he said, as he visited the stadium to feel the atmosphere before the World Cup.
Sitting in the KBS broadcasting booth, he said, "It was about 400 times the nervousness of broadcasting the final of a big audition program because it was something I had never done before in my life. There's no comparison," he said, adding, "It's not a content that can be passed off as fun and witty, so I'm very stressed about that."
Jeon Hyunmoo, who made a series of mistakes even while practicing his speech in the broadcasting booth with his thumb announcer, said, "I feel like I'm back in Hampyeong when I was a rookie announcer. I was so confused. It's been a long time since I've been confused." He added, "The music came on and the sound was so loud." He continued, "I don't know what I'm saying because the music is so loud and the scene is so loud. I stuttered because I was too excited," he added.
Afterward, Jeon Hyunmoo was asked to participate in a live interview at halftime. "KBS Sports Broadcasting gave me a chance, and there was a time between the first and second halves of the game to officially introduce me as a World Cup broadcaster," he explained.
"I think it's really difficult to do live sports broadcasts. In entertainment live broadcasts, music programs, and award ceremonies, mistakes can be a laughing matter, but in sports, you can get in trouble. I was so confused because I thought I shouldn't make a mistake," he said.
At first, Jeon did well with the help of junior announcer Nam Hyeon-jong and commentator Lee Young-pyo, but as the tension grew, he kept making mistakes. "I feel like I'm back to being a rookie announcer, and I'm very embarrassed," he said.
Nam Hyunjong, who was watching, said, "I was very disappointed. It's not easy to stutter like that at that age," he jokingly said, causing laughter. Jeon Hyun-moo said, "It was panic. I couldn't think of anything. I think I said a lot of things. It's the first time in 20 years that I feel like I'm repeating myself," he said.
About Boss in the Mirror
Boss in the Mirror is a South Korean variety show hosted by Jeon Hyun-moo and Kim Sook. The show was initially aired as a pilot program on KBS2 on February 5–6, 2019. It premiered on April 28, 2019, as a regular program, and airs every Sunday at 17:00.