On the November 6 episode of MBC’s Stingy Man, which featured a “Shy Salt” special, Park Young-jin, Lee Joon, Lim Woo-il, Kim Jong-kook, and Lee Seung-hoon made a rare appearance together, bringing smiles to viewers.
During the show, Jang Do-yeon announced that Kim Jong-kook had received the President’s Award on “Finance Day” for his achievements in savings and investments. When Jang jokingly suggested they should hang a congratulatory banner, Kim replied, “No need. It would only be used once and then discarded.” Park Young-jin added, “If people find out about this, they’ll expect you to treat them to a meal.”
The episode also introduced band vocalist Choi Sang-yeop and musical actor Lim Gi-hong. Choi, known for his frugality, showed up with a company cart to collect a shelf he had found for free. Using wired earphones, he explained his trick for keeping the cord from getting tangled. Kim Jong-kook admired his methods, saying, “I do the same. He knows all the tricks.”
Choi then traveled across the Han River for his free item. After receiving it, he offered a drink to the giver, prompting Kim Jong-kook to comment, “People like us don’t impose on others. It’s a nice gesture.” On his way back, Choi even picked up litter, and when he returned home, he used a reusable cloth instead of wet wipes to clean the shelf, which Kim Jong-kook praised, saying, “See, you don’t need wet wipes in life.”
Choi later checked the price for a washing machine cleaning service and, noting that it was around 80,000 KRW, joked, “That’s almost the cost of sedation!” He revealed he recently opted out of sedation for an endoscopy to save money.
Kim Jong-kook then shared, “I get both upper and lower endoscopies without sedation,” surprising the studio. Lim Woo-il asked, “Is that even possible?” while Park Young-jin marveled, “No wonder he received a Presidential Award.” Kim Jong-kook recommended the approach, saying, “You can chat with the doctor during the procedure. There’s no pain with the lower one; the upper one is harder.” Park Young-jin praised him as a true “champion,” while Lim Woo-il admitted he tried it once years ago but found it unbearable. Kim Jong-kook encouraged him, saying, “You have to build up endurance.”
Lee Joon then shared his own frugality story, recalling how he first bought clothes for himself only in his 30s. He explained, “My friends wore designer brands, which made me feel a bit envious, but I wore knockoffs instead.” He added, “At school, people would ask if they were real, and I’d insist they were. It made me wonder if I should keep living like this.” He then recalled his first photoshoot after debut, where he wore genuine Adidas gear, joking that he proudly posed to show off the brand logo, which made everyone in the studio laugh.
Source: TV Report
