'Mounjaro Helped Me Lose 12kg' Kwak Beom Looks Unrecognizably Slim: "Running 10km a Day Gives Me the Energy to Keep Up With My Schedule"

[Sportschosun Jung Yoo-na] Comedian Kwak Beom, one of the hottest names in variety shows, showed off a noticeably slimmer look after losing 12kg.

In 'Not_found,' which airs at 6:30 p.m. on the 30th, MC Kim Ji-yu joins her close senior Kwak Beom at the race venue as his pacer for a half marathon.

Before the race, Kim Ji-yu met Kwak Beom and called him "Gwakjjonku (Kwak Beom + Dujjonku)," but she could not hide her amazement at how slim he had become. Kwak Beom revealed that he had lost 12kg. He had previously been reported to have shed 12kg by combining Mounjaro with exercise.

Despite his grueling schedule, he trained for the marathon. "I've been really busy lately, and if I hadn't been running, I would have burned out quickly," he said, citing running as the key to staying in shape. He added, "My goal today is to finish the 21km half marathon in under two hours," showing his determination.

At last, Kwak Beom's first-ever half marathon challenge began, and Kim Ji-yu, who started running with him, was stunned by the huge gap in their pace. Even as she struggled through the pain of her first marathon, she kept going with support from cheering citizens. But at the 5km mark, she hit her limit and gave up, saying, "I ran with him because I wanted to help him finish, but this is really not easy," and expressed her admiration.

Meanwhile, Kwak Beom quickly passed the 10km mark, but at 12km he suddenly stopped because of a calf cramp. After steeling himself with, "Even if my legs break, I have to keep running," he started again, only to suffer repeated leg cramps. With the race suddenly in jeopardy, attention is focused on whether he can meet his goal of finishing within two hours.

After finally completing the half marathon, Kwak Beom shouted for one thing: frozen pork belly. When Kim Ji-yu asked why he chose frozen pork belly instead of expensive meat, he replied, "The 'cold samgyeopsal' I ate after the marathon felt like it was absorbed at the cellular level," and headed straight to his favorite restaurant. "This is one of the top three frozen pork belly places in Seoul," he said, adding, "I used to come here every day whenever we had meetings," unable to hide his excitement.

At last, Kwak Beom tasted the long-awaited "one bite he had been craving" and kept exclaiming, "It sends a shiver down my spine. This is why I live," as he enjoyed a perfect dopamine rush. Kwak Beom and Kim Ji-yu showed off their sharp, playful chemistry while devouring the delicious frozen pork belly. Kwak Beom confessed, "When Gag Con disappeared and the future felt uncertain, I had given up on life," and showed old photos of himself. Kim Ji-yu fired back, "You look at least 15 years older than you do now." When Kim Ji-yu asked, "When do you really feel your popularity these days?" Kwak Beom answered, "People used to just greet me, but now they ask for photos," and drew laughter by sharing a funny story about being mistaken for actor Park Bo-gum at the Han River.

He also explained why he is so serious about running. "Just being nominated for the Baeksang Arts Awards was enough to achieve a major goal in my life, so I don't have any more greed for awards," he said. "When you feel empty because you no longer have a goal, signing up for a marathon gives you a short-term target." He then sparked more laughter with his banter with Kim Ji-yu, saying, "You chased after me like a ghost, so I overdid it at the start."

As one of the biggest names of the moment, Kwak Beom said he is overcoming the risk of burnout from his brutal schedule with his own mindset. "Senior Lee Yong-jin once told me that comedians are replaced the moment they step away. After hearing that, I told myself, 'Who am I to talk about burnout?'" he said, confronting a harsh reality head-on. He also spoke candidly about why he keeps running his comedy channel at his own expense. "People criticize it and it runs at a loss, but I became a comedian because I wanted to do comedy and even took the open recruitment exam for that reason," he said. "I just want to do my best and make people laugh wherever I'm invited, and bring a little happiness to someone having a hard day." His firm belief as a comedian left a moving impression.

jyn2011@sportschosun.com