Former baseball player Kim Tae-gyun is facing backlash for a remark that put Girls' Generation's Yuri (Kwon Yuri) in an awkward position.
On Oct. 17, TVING aired a live stream of "2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO Playoffs" called "Real Fan Zone 2."
That day at Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark, the Samsung Lions and the Hanwha Eagles were scheduled to play game 1 of the playoffs. For that reason, former Hanwha Eagles commentator Kim Tae-gyun, Girls' Generation's Yuri (Kwon Yuri), and Song Sang-eun, who appeared on "Real Fan Zone 2" live to convey the fandom's enthusiasm vividly, stepped up.
But before the game, while hosting a talk segment, Kim Tae-gyun suddenly asked Yuri a loaded question: "How is it playing against Samsung and our Hanwha?"
Yuri, looking flustered, tried to defuse it with an awkward smile, and Song Sang-eun beside her also burst into laughter and turned her head. Kim Tae-gyun then again demanded an answer from Yuri, saying "How is it?," and Yuri answered nonchalantly, "Huh? Of course it's fun. It's even more fun and satisfying. That's why I guess it's not me getting attached like this. As if it was staged."
Upon hearing that, Kim Tae-gyun said, "Exactly. I even went to the retirement ceremony," more directly referring to Oh Seung-hwan, and Yuri showed an awkward smile and bowed her head.
After the live stream, negative reactions erupted among netizens. Earlier, Yuri in 2015 started a public relationship after being photographed dating Oh Seung-hwan, a former Samsung Lions player who was then with the Hanshin Tigers.
The two were reported to have been dating for five months, but rumors of a breakup surfaced only seven months after they acknowledged the relationship. The agency said, "They have broken up," but declined to provide specific timing or reasons for the split. Oh Seung-hwan, who later played in Major League Baseball, returned to the KBO League in 2020, served as a closer for the Samsung Lions, and retired after the season's 16th meeting with the KIA Tigers on Sept. 30.
Meanwhile, Kim Tae-gyun mentioned "Samsung" and "retirement ceremony" in front of Yuri, subtly bringing Oh Seung-hwan back to the surface and making Yuri sweat. Some defended him, saying, "Maybe he didn't know," but critics argued that Oh Seung-hwan had already retired and left the team and was not on the roster, so there was no reason to mention him on the live stream, calling it "malicious intent rather than a slip of the tongue."
Moreover, Oh Seung-hwan married in 2022 and has a son. Still, mentioning a dating rumor from more than 10 years ago was seen as rude to both parties, drawing cold responses such as "When was that that you're still asking about it?" Some even expressed bewilderment, saying they "only just learned" the two had dated because of this incident.
In particular, Kim Tae-gyun recently posted an apology after making rude remarks about players from other teams during a YouTube channel broadcast. That he continues to make inappropriate remarks and conduct himself poorly has deepened fans' disappointment.
"Real Fan Zone 2" is the first sports variety show that centers on fans, telling the desperate cheering stories of true fans who stake their lives on "that ball game." The returning "Real Fan Zone 2" captures the cheering stories of Hanwha Eagles super fans. The game 1 of the KBO playoffs scheduled for Oct. 17 was canceled due to rain, so today (Oct. 18) at 1:30 p.m. actor Yoon Jong-hoon and Golden Child's Lee Jang-jun will appear on the live stream to cheer for game 1.<
[Photo] OSEN DB, Real Fan Zone 2
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