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Family Laughed At Kids' Takeover Of TV Interview, Says South Korea Expert

No need to worry about whether the most hilarious BBC interview ever has caused family trouble, after the children of South Korea expert Robert Kelly's kids infiltrated his TV appearance.

As we reported, Kelly was offering context for the news about the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye when his adorable daughter danced into his office to join the fun:

" 'I think one of your children has just walked in,' " the BBC anchor said, prompting Kelly to reach behind him to keep his daughter back from the camera.

"Kelly smiled, and the girl settled onto a table in what looks to be his home office in Pusan to have a snack, and all seemed settled. And that's when Kelly's toddler son got into the act, bursting into the room in a rolling walker and making a beeline toward the camera."

Before they could join the conversation, though, a clearly panicked woman charged in and swept them up and out. And so was born an Internet sensation.

Were the children in trouble? Who was the woman? Would that analyst ever get a TV gig again?

To set international minds at ease, the BBC checked in with the Kelly family, who said they too laughed at the video, and no one got in trouble.

Robert Kelly said they'd never had that much attention before and "had to turn off the phones and Facebook and Twitter." He presented his wife, Jung-A Kim, and children, Marion and James — their previous appearance having been over too quickly for introductions — and the kids were just as sweet and rambunctious as you'd expect.

Kim said she was in another room recording the interview when she saw the unexpected participants.

Kelly said the family has watched the video and consider it "pretty hysterical ... catching a regular family off-guard." He said, "It's really all my fault for not locking the door."

On a more serious note, Kim brushed off concerns that many viewers assumed Kim was the children's nanny. "I hope people just enjoy it," she said, "not argue" over it.

Kelly also told the Wall Street Journal, "Yes I was mortified, but I also want my kids to feel comfortable coming to me."

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Barbara Campbell
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