Wooga Squad is in a ‘Soop’

Making meaningful friendships at work can be challenging. Work ties are frequently tenuous and more about networking than true camaraderie. On the contrary, when Park Seo-joon met co-actors Park Hyung-sik and BTS’ V on the sets of Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth, they bonded well enough to become good friends. While filming and thereafter, their on-screen companionship matured into an off-screen family-like attachment; the impetus behind the foundation of the Wooga Squad. In a competitive society where we value professional advancement over interpersonal relations with co-workers, Park Seo-joon went ahead and formed the group, subsequently adding his long-time friend, rapper-record producer-singer-songwriter Peakboy, and fellow actor Choi Woo-sik to it. Since then, the members have stood by each other, garnering media attention for their affinity and bromance.

The spotlight is on Wooga Squad more than ever right now, thanks to the unveiling of a teaser for IN THE SOOP: Friendcation, starring the celebrity group. The word ‘friendcation’ alludes to friends on vacation, and the visuals confirm this. The show is expected to delve into the lives of the superstars while they are on a mini holiday, luxuriating in entertaining activities away from their regular routines. Before this edition of the iconic Korean variety program, we watched K-pop megastars BTS and renowned K-pop band Seventeen perform in IN THE SOOP. The show’s concept follows the cast in a tranquil place that’s far away from bustling city life, where the band members have no concrete plans and are free to take part in a range of activities, mirroring the series’ tagline, “Between everyday life and rest.” I’m curious to see how this idea plays out for the Wooga Squad.

In an interview with The Guardian, Park Seo-joon discussed the importance of this group in his life. “They are really good friends to me and very comforting,” he said, adding, “Not only do we share the same values, thoughts and perspectives on things, but we are in similar industries, and so we are able to share advice. We try to comfort each other as human beings because what I am going through could be something that the others might go through in the future.” Because they value one another, the group members frequently share posts of their time spent together on social media. Likewise, they tend to use every available tool to support each other’s respective ventures. Let’s take V, who contributed the song “Christmas Tree” to Choi’s drama Our Beloved Summer, or Peakboy, who used the entire squad in the music video for his song “Gyopo Hairstyle.”

V, the group’s youngest member, is frequently the center of attention. Park Hyung-sik remarked in an interview with the Japanese publication Mokkan Henshu that he is surprised to see how someone so close to him is adored by people all over the world. “To me, Taehyung is still my cute younger brother. He hasn’t changed from when we first met. In terms of work, he is a professional, but he is an ordinary boy in usual.” During a Q&A with the cast of Hwarang, both Park Seo-joon and Park Hyung-sik revealed that V is too cute and strives to be manly like them. The K-pop idol has reiterated that the members of Wooga Squad act as an unwavering support system for one another. Despite the fact that they come from many different areas of the entertainment industry, their closeness and brotherhood keep them in tune with each other. The four-episode spin-off series IN THE SOOP: Friendcation’s depiction of this relationship will be entertaining to watch I believe. This month will see the premiere of the show. According to insiders, the series will air every Friday on JTBC and be available for viewing on-demand on Disney+ Asia.