What a nice contribution : Lee Young-ae to star in variety show

Actress Lee Young-ae as she appeared in an ad in the New York Times.

Leading Korean actress Lee Young-ae will make a rare appearance in a special Chuseok holiday program in September.

The 42-year-old star of the Korean drama “Jewel in the Palace” will star in the variety show where eight foreign college students majoring in Korean language or Korean literature will camp down at a “hanok” or traditional Korean residence for three days. The show tentatively titled “Welcome” and planned by the network MBC will also pit the students into two teams for a Korean language battle. The first episode planned for September will invite students of Korean language department at the Ankara National University in Turkey.

The network officials said that Lee embraced the idea. After giving birth to twins, the actress has largely been promoting popular Korean content overseas. She not only jointly created the “bibimbap” or Korean mixed-rice ad along with Professor Seo Kyoung-duk of Sungshin Women’s University and Dokdo advocate that appeared in the New York Times, but also featured as its model. She also invited the students and the founder of the Democracy Prep Charter School in Harlem New York that successfully adopted the Korean education model.