Why Kim Woo-bin Was Spotted in Rubber Boots at a Jeju Market

Kim Woo-bin, Lee Kwang-soo, and EXO's D.O. were spotted filming on Jeju Island this week — and the photos that surfaced on Chinese social media platform Weibo have fans buzzing. The three actors, best known in the variety world for their ongoing tvN series, were photographed together at a local supermarket's fish cake section, all of them sporting rubber boots and very much looking like they had no idea anyone was watching. It was exactly the kind of unscripted, everyday moment that has made their show appointment viewing for fans across Asia.

The sighting confirms what tvN officially announced earlier this month: the beloved trio is back for a fourth installment of their "Kong Kong" variety series, this time heading to Jeju Island to take care of livestock. Creator Na Young-suk — the PD behind Korean variety landmarks like 1 Night 2 Days and Three Meals a Day — is once again at the helm, and the cast has expanded to include creator-actor Moon Sang-hoon as a guest.

The 'Kong Kong' Series: A Brief History of Best Friends Working Hard for Laughs

For viewers unfamiliar with the franchise, the "Kong Kong" series is built on a deceptively simple premise: put three real-life close friends in a situation where they have to actually do hard things together, and film what happens. The name in Korean — 콩 심은 데 콩 나고 (literally "plant beans, get beans") — is a proverb about getting out what you put in, and it captures the show's spirit well. These aren't celebrities in controlled promotional environments. They're three friends who seem to genuinely like each other, thrown into situations that test patience, physical stamina, and sense of humor in equal measure.

The franchise launched in 2023 with Kong Kong Pat Pat, which sent the trio to work on a farm. The farming concept sounds straightforward on paper, but the combination of Kim Woo-bin's understated sarcasm, Lee Kwang-soo's unmatched capacity for physical comedy, and D.O.'s quietly deadpan reactions turned agricultural labor into compelling television. The season peaked at a 5 percent viewership rating — a strong result for a cable variety show — and immediately made a second season feel inevitable.

2024 brought Kong Kong Bap Bap, which put the three in charge of running a staff canteen. Restaurant operation turned out to be an ideal setting for the show's dynamic: high-pressure, logistically chaotic, and absolutely reliant on the kind of trust and ribbing that only real friendships produce. The canteen format let the cast interact with a wider cast of supporting characters while maintaining the core chemistry that viewers came for.

2025's Kong Kong Pang Pang took the biggest swing yet, sending the group to Mexico. The international travel element broadened the show's scope and introduced new visual energy, while the cast's reactions to genuinely unfamiliar territory added a new layer to a dynamic audiences already knew well. That season drew attention beyond Korea, with clips spreading through K-drama and K-pop fan communities internationally.

What to Expect From the Jeju Season

The new season's concept centers on the cast caring for livestock on Jeju Island. Jeju, South Korea's volcanic island province located off the southern coast, is known for its distinct agricultural culture — including cattle farming, black pigs, and horse ranching — making it a natural setting for a series that puts its cast to work with their hands. The production confirmed the concept as "workers," with the cast taking on hands-on roles with animals and farm tasks.

The first round of filming took place on April 14, with the trio spending two nights and three days on the island for an initial shoot. The production team has indicated that additional filming trips to Jeju are planned, suggesting a longer production schedule than previous seasons. A broadcast date has not yet been announced.

Joining as a guest is Moon Sang-hoon, a multi-hyphenate who first built a following through his YouTube channel Bba Der Neos (빠더너스) before expanding into television and film. Moon's energy — spontaneous, self-deprecating, and genuinely funny in the way that comes from years of reading an audience — makes him an intriguing addition to a cast that already has strong individual personalities. How he fits into the established trio's dynamic is one of the new season's biggest questions.

Why Chinese Fans Were the First to Know

The fish cake moment on Weibo was not an accident of timing. The "Kong Kong" series has built a substantial fanbase in China, and Chinese fans paying close attention to the cast's travel patterns and filming locations have become something of an early detection system for production activity. When photos of Kim Woo-bin, Lee Kwang-soo, and D.O. wearing matching rubber boots and peering at fish cakes in a Jeju market appeared on Weibo on April 22, the reaction was immediate and enthusiastic. Comments referenced the boots as the most Kim Woo-bin thing possible ("only he could make rubber boots look like that") and called out D.O.'s characteristically unbothered expression as proof that some things about this group never change.

For fans who have followed all three actors individually — through dramas, music, and films — there is something particularly satisfying about seeing them in a context where the celebrity trappings fall away entirely. Kim Woo-bin grocery shopping in work boots is not Kim Woo-bin the lead actor. It's Kim Woo-bin the person, doing something mundane, and that's exactly what the "Kong Kong" franchise has always traded on.

The Stars Behind the Show

The cast's off-screen friendship is the genuine foundation of the series. Kim Woo-bin, best known internationally for dramas including The Heirs and Uncontrollably Fond, made a highly anticipated return to entertainment after battling nasopharyngeal cancer in 2017. His comeback was marked by a warmth and groundedness that fans noticed immediately, and the "Kong Kong" series has become one of the most beloved parts of his post-recovery career.

D.O. — Doh Kyung-soo — is a member of EXO who has built a parallel career as a respected dramatic actor. His credits include the period romance 100 Days My Prince, the psychological drama It's Okay, That's Love, and a string of film roles that have demonstrated genuine range. His variety show persona, characterized by dry wit and an almost supernatural ability to look unimpressed by everything happening around him, has become one of the show's most beloved running jokes.

Lee Kwang-soo, nicknamed "the giraffe" by Korean fans for his lanky frame and perpetually endearing awkwardness, is a household name through his long run on SBS's Running Man and a substantial film and drama career alongside it. His physical comedy and willingness to be genuinely embarrassed on camera are core to why the "Kong Kong" format works — there is no shortage of scenes where Lee Kwang-soo suffers expressively while Kim Woo-bin watches with quiet amusement and D.O. says nothing at all.

Looking Ahead

With no broadcast date confirmed yet, fans are in the patience-required phase of anticipation. Given that previous seasons have aired on tvN with reasonable lead time between filming and broadcast, speculation about a mid-2026 premiere is already circulating in Korean entertainment communities.

What seems certain is that the Jeju season will arrive with the same core appeal intact: three actors who are clearly friends, put in a situation they were not trained for, with Na Young-suk's camera crew catching whatever happens next. Four seasons in, the "Kong Kong" formula shows no signs of running out of road. And judging by the Weibo reaction to a photo of the cast in rubber boots, the audience is very much still there.