Comedian’s Last Request: Happier TV

A note from comedian Kim Hyeong-kon on his Cyworld mini-homepage Friday, one day before he passed away, is causing a sensation. Famous for his satirical comedy, his last note was titled, “We deserve to be laughed to sleep,” where he criticized broadcasting companies and politicians with his characteristic humor.

“TV programs that run from 10:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. usually deal with controversial issues. That is why Koreans feel dissatisfied when they go to bed. We shouldn’t feature politicians in programs after 10:00 p.m. Because of these politicians featured in the middle of the night, there are a lot of Koreans who are not able to sleep,” his note read.

“I’ve been a public figure for the last twenty five years, but I have a lot of grudges toward Korean broadcasting. We should be able to enjoy a good night’s sleep. By featuring happy and entertaining programs on TV during the late hours, we can laugh ourselves to sleep, but most programs deal with controversial issues. We go to sleep with news of armed robberies, rapes, gangsters, and immorality. I am enraged at the broadcasters who depend on viewing rates rather than the viewers.”

He then joked, “I want to do a one-man demonstration with picket signs bearing words like, “We deserved to be laughed to sleep!” or “Save us from nightmares!”

Kim, known as the “messenger of laughter,” also wrote, “Why do we strive to earn so much money? Too many people forget to laugh because they’re too focused on earning money. That’s a pity.”

Kim’s last humor topic was on heart attacks.

“Three corpses entered a morgue. All three were smiling. The coroner asked, ‘Why are they all smiling?’ The first corpse had a heart attack after winning the lottery. The second had a heart attack because his child became valedictorian. The third? He was struck by lightning. Then why was he smiling? He thought he was being photographed.”

zozo@donga.com