I wished he had brought his kids with him, \u201d said a student in the audience. This is not something one typically hears in a lecture about the state of affairs in Korea, but this was not a typical<\/b>
\nI wished he had brought his kids with him, \u201d said a student in the audience. This is not something one typically hears in a lecture about the state of affairs in Korea, but this was not a typical lecturer.
The setting was a standing-room-only Leong Hall at the Ateneo de Manila University. The visiting speaker was an American named Dr. Robert E. Kelly. If you\u2019 ve been on the internet any time since March, he may look a little familiar.
\u201cSo I\u2019 m famous because of my kids, \u201d he said at the very beginning of his lecture. The students laughed. Everybody knew what he was talking about.
Kelly is an American political analyst based in Busan, South Korea, specializing in international security, with a focus on Northeast Asia, and an associate professor at the Department of Political Science at Pusan National University. He has been on TV countless times as an expert discussing Korean affairs
\u2014but he became known worldwide for something completely unexpected.
On March 10, Kelly was on BBC World News discussing the fallout from the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye. Kelly, clad in a blazer, shirt and tie, was being interviewed via Skype in his home office when the door behind him opened and his children, Marion, 4, and James, then just 8 months old, entered, distracting Kelly.
\u2018It\u2019s my fault\u2019
This was followed by the swift entrance of Kelly\u2019s wife, Kim Jung-a, who hurriedly grabbed the kids and closed the door behind her. Kelly is obviously trying to keep from laughing while apologizing for the disruption. \u201cIt\u2019s my fault, \u201d he later explained. \u201cThe home office has a door with a lock that I didn\u2019 t push.\u201d
The clip went viral, seen by more than a billion people now. Kelly has been dubbed the \u201cviral BBC dad, \u201d and his daughter, Marion, the subject of memes, including several that tell you \u201chow to dress like Marion Kelly.\u201d
The sudden fame shocked Kelly. \u201cWe didn\u2019 t leave the house for three days, \u201d he explained to media after his lecture. The Kellys received over 1,000 media requests, even as they exiled themselves from social media. Kelly explained that they simply didn\u2019 t know how to deal with the media onslaught, which even had reporters tracking down Kelly\u2019s parents back in the United States.
When Kelly decided to talk to the Korean press, 300 reporters showed up. Ellen Degeneres talked up the clip on her show. Outlets as diverse as the New York Times, Us Weekly, CNN and Complex discussed the story behind the clip. It has, inevitably, been parodied. The BBC even called the Kellys \u201cthe most famous family in the world\u201d for \u201c24-to-48 hours.\u201d
The aftereffects went beyond 48 hours. Kelly says the biggest change is that \u201cpeople recognize me in the street.\u201d He is included in an endless stream of selfies. He is asked multiple questions about the conspiracy theories surrounding the clip. Was it staged? Was he wearing pants? \u201cIt was not staged, \u201d he said. \u201cYes, I was wearing pants.\u201d
He is amazed by people\u2019s interest in them. \u201cThat\u2019s all it was, a legitimate family blooper. People get really carried away. It\u2019s just ridiculous. I\u2019 m genuinely surprised how this got so big.\u201d
How did Kelly wind up lecturing in the Philippines?
The Ateneo\u2019s Korean Studies Program had been established to respond to the growing student and faculty interest in Korea, particularly through lectures since 2012. According to Korean Studies Program director Sarah Domingo Lipura, the program had been looking for someone to talk about the political crisis in Korea after the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye in March. For one reason or another, the invited experts could not make it.
Then Lipura saw the video. \u201cMy intention was really for him to talk about the topic, but I took advantage of his popularity. Topics like this wouldn\u2019 t really draw this big an audience, but after researching Dr. Kelly\u2019s background, we thought his expertise would really fit this particular lecture, \u201d Lipura said, saying she approached Kelly both for his expertise and his popularity.
Keen interest
So out of the blue, Lipura e-mailed Kelly in April. \u201cI got an answer immediately.\u201d Three weeks later\u2014on May 5\u2014Kelly was in Manila, talking about Korea in a lecture titled \u201cPolitical crisis in South Korea and Northeast Asia regional security.\u201d
Lipura described Kelly as being very accommodating and noted \u201chis keen interest in visiting the Philippines, \u201d as this was Kelly\u2019s first time in the country.
Wryly funny but also authoritative, Kelly proved to be a natural speaking to the crowd. Without a PowerPoint presentation, Kelly spoke lengthily about the Korean situation, intercontinental ballistic missiles, Kim Jong-un, the role of China and the possibility of nuclear war.
He took the time to explain complicated concepts and earnestly answered the questions put before him.
The gathered students\u2014
over 400 strong\u2014who knew Kelly only from his viral video were clearly engaged by Kelly\u2019s intellect and his humor.
Kelly also spoke about the video and its aftermath with candor and self-deprecation. \u201cEveryone\u2019s here just because of my kids, \u201d he said several times.
Kelly pointed out that, aside from a haircut, he looks exactly like he did in the video. \u201cIt\u2019s really weird being a viral sort of personality, \u201d he said.
Perhaps the most unusual product of the world\u2019s fascination with the Kellys is the online animated series \u201cThe Adventures of Mina and Jack, \u201d which depict Marion (the narrator and protagonist Mina) and Jack (that\u2019s James) , their yoga teacher mom (Jung-a) and \u00fcber-busy dad (clearly Kelly) .
\u201cIt\u2019s pretty strange, \u201d Kelly admitted; the Kellys\u2014who are officially creative consultants on the show\u2014have given the cartoon series, produced by Hans House, their blessing.
Marion and James are young enough that they don\u2019 t notice how famous they are. \u201cThey don\u2019 t understand all this, \u201d Kelly said. \u201cI honestly don\u2019 t know how we\u2019 ll explain it to them when they\u2019 re older.\u201d
Marion and James were not with Kelly on this trip\u2014\u201cMy son is very young and he\u2019s never traveled outside of Korea\u201d\u2014but that might change.
\u201cMaybe in a few years when my kids are older and if there\u2019s still an invitation, I\u2019 d be happy to bring them, \u201d he promised.<\/p>\n