- Title: 'Family blooper' goes viral after Korea expert's kids crash BBC interview
- Date: 15th March 2017
- Summary: BUSAN, SOUTH KOREA (MARCH 15, 2017) (REUTERS) ***WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** PROFESSOR FOR POLITICS AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AT PUSAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, ROBERT KELLY, AND FAMILY WALKING ON STREET / KELLY AND HIS WIFE, KIM JUNG-A, SWINGING DAUGHTER, MARION, BY ARMS AND WIFE HOLDING SON IN ARMS KELLY AND HIS WIFE SWINGING MARION BY ARMS KELLY'S WIFE SPEAKING MARION RUNNING TOWARDS KELLY AND SITTING ON HIS LAP KELLY AND HIS FAMILY SITTING ON BENCH KELLY AND HIS FAMILY WALKING INTO ROOM AND TAKING SEAT / KELLY PULLING OUT CHAIR FOR MARION NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS MEDIA SHOOTING AND JOURNALISTS SEATED DURING NEWS CONFERENCE KELLY AND HIS FAMILY LISTENING TO JOURNALIST QUESTION DURING NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) PROFESSOR FOR POLITICS AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AT PUSAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, ROBERT KELLY, SAYING: "We are just a regular family, and raising two young children can be a lot of work. Because of that, it seems that our video has resonated with parents around the world, and we are flattered at the many gentle sentiments about our children." KELLY'S WIFE SPEAKING (TO KELLY) DURING NEWS CONFERENCE AND HOLDING SON ON LAP (SOUNDBITE) (English) PROFESSOR FOR POLITICS AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AT PUSAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, ROBERT KELLY, SAYING: "Thank you, we love our children very much, and we are happy that our family blooper - our family error on television - brought so much laughter to so many people." KELLY'S SON CHEWING PIECE OF BREAD / KELLY'S WIFE LISTENING TO JOURNALIST QUESTION (SOUNDBITE) (English) PROFESSOR FOR POLITICS AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AT PUSAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, ROBERT KELLY, SAYING: "I began to notice the Twitter notifications and then BBC called us and asked us if they could cut it and print it. And we're very grateful to them that they did so in a way that was gentle towards our children, and treated it and it was sort of framed as sort of kids will be kids and, you know, the parents are doing the best they can. It could've been framed as sort of, you know, 'look at this professor, he can't control his family and it's just chaos over there'. I mean, we are very pleased that BBC framed it in that way, (baby cries) and so, this is my family." KELLY AND HIS FAMILY SITTING DURING NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) PROFESSOR FOR POLITICS AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AT PUSAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, ROBERT KELLY, SAYING: "I am a little bit wary of the sort of fallout for my academic credentials. We didn't want this. I mean I guess this is now the first line of my obituary, right? I'm 'BBC Dad' for a while I suppose. I would hope that people would read my work." JOURNALIST TYPING ON LAPTOP DURING NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) PROFESSOR FOR POLITICS AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AT PUSAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, ROBERT KELLY, SAYING: "I think the reason why this became, why this went viral is because my real life sort of punched through the fake cover I had created for television, right? There I am in my suit, delivering my talking points, or whatever, and then suddenly reality bursts in. I think that's my sense of why this is so resonant." KELLY AND HIS FAMILY STANDING UP AFTER NEWS CONFERENCE ENDS / KELLY LIFTING MARION IN ARMS KELLY AND HIS FAMILY STANDING TOGETHER FOR PHOTOSHOOT KELLY AND HIS FAMILY STANDING AT FRONT OF NEWS CONFERENCE ROOM / KELLY SPEAKING TO JOURNALISTS EXTERIOR OF PUSAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY
- Embargoed: 29th March 2017 10:46
- Keywords: South Korea BBC interview professor Robert Kelly
- Location: BUSAN, SOUTH KOREA
- City: BUSAN, SOUTH KOREA
- Country: South Korea
- Topics: Arts/Culture/Entertainment
- Reuters ID: LVA001682KZT3
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: The man at the center of a viral BBC interview who was unceremoniously interrupted by his children live on air said on Wednesday (March 15) he was flattered by the many "gentle sentiments" his family had received after millions watched the video online.
Robert Kelly, an American associate professor at Pusan National University in South Korea, had been speaking to the BBC via Skype about the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye, when his daughter marched confidently into his home office.
His nine-month-old son, James, slipped in shortly afterwards in a baby walker, followed by his wife, Kim Jung-a, who dramatically chased and expertly extracted both children as Kelly tried to maintain his on-camera composure.
"We are just a regular family and raising two young children can be a lot of work," Kelly said during a news conference at the university. "We love our children very much, and we are happy that our family blooper - our family error on television - brought so much laughter to so many people."
Kelly's four-year-old daughter, Marion, who captured the internet's attention with her bright yellow top and confident swagger, sat beside Kelly during the news conference. Kim held baby James on her lap.
The video was widely shared on social media, with the majority of comments expressing amusement over the incident. One version of the video on a BBC Facebook page had over 86 million views as of Wednesday.
Kelly, who is an expert on North and South Korea and makes regular international media appearances, said he hoped the light-heartedness of the video would not harm him professionally. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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