Actor Ji Seung-hyun shows off fluent English, jokes about Hollywood dreams

Actor Ji Seung-hyun showed off his English skills on a recent variety show, crediting his mother — a former English teacher — for the family talent.

Thursday's episode of KBS2's variety program "Shin Sang Chulsi Pyeonstorang," a restaurant-themed variety show, followed Ji as he visited his childhood home in Andong to spend time with his parents.

That day, Ji stopped by Hahoe Village in Andong, where he ran into his mother amid a group of foreign tourists. She was fluently explaining the site to the visitors in English.

"My mother worked her way up from middle and high school English teacher to scholarship official, vice principal and then principal," Ji said. "Now she works as an English cultural interpreter introducing Andong's culture to foreign visitors." He added that his mother is the oldest of the six cultural interpreters currently active in Andong.

Ji's mother took the opportunity to brag about her son to the tourists. "Do you like K-dramas?" she asked. "There's a drama series called 'Goryeo-Georan Jeonjaeng' that was famous three years ago — it was filmed right here. And one of the main characters is actually my son."

Ji then appeared and chatted with the tourists in fluent English. Co-host Boom noted, "Seung-hyun graduated from the English literature department at Kyung Hee University. English runs in the family."

When one tourist said, "You speak English really well," Ji quipped, "Because my dream is to become a Hollywood actor — you might see me someday." At his mother's request to show off his acting, Ji bashfully reenacted a scene from the drama series in English.

Ji also revealed that he once took the TOEIC exam alongside his mother, but while he struggled, she scored nearly a perfect mark.