Why leave without a final goodbye… Hangout With Yoo PD directly explained the background of Lee Yi-kyung's departure
Actor Lee Yi-kyung is leaving MBC's Hangout With Yoo after three years. But news that he will leave without a final goodbye to the members he had grown close to has deepened fans' regret.
According to OSEN's reporting on the 4th, Hangout With Yoo will officially resume regular recordings on the 6th after three weeks, but Lee Yi-kyung will not participate. Recordings on the 23rd and 30th of last month were canceled due to APEC leaders' meetings and special news programming.
Earlier, when Lee Mi-joo and Park Jin-joo left in May, they said their goodbyes during a final recording, but this time he quietly left the program without a separate farewell.
Regarding this, Hangout With Yoo's main director Kim Jin-yong said in an exclusive interview with OSEN, "In this week's broadcast opening, Yoo Jae-suk, Haha and Joo Woo-jae will officially say goodbye to Lee Yi-kyung. They will talk together before starting the 'In.Sa.Mo' project."
He added, "Although the recording schedule is known to be every Thursday, it proceeds flexibly depending on guest and cast schedules. Lee Yi-kyung has tried to keep up with Hangout With Yoo as much as possible despite his busy schedule as an actor, but recent overseas commitments overlapped, making it difficult to continue both," explaining the background for his departure.
Kim said, "We could have prepared a separate special for his departure, but we judged it right not to delay the ongoing 'In.Sa.Mo' general meeting filming and to focus on it," and "We will include plenty of the members' farewells to Lee Yi-kyung in the broadcast. Viewers will be able to feel the hearts that stayed until the end."
Meanwhile, false personal life rumors about Lee Yi-kyung spread recently on online communities, but these were found to be AI-synthesized manipulations. The person who exposed them posted an apology, saying "it started as a joke but felt real," and Lee Yi-kyung's agency Sangyoung ENT said it had filed complaints with the police against those spreading false information and announced a firm response policy.
Fans responded to the news of Lee Yi-kyung's departure, who had been responsible for Hangout With Yoo's energy for three years, with comments such as "sad but cheering for you" and "it's bittersweet that he leaves without saying goodbye until the end."
[Photo] OSEN DB
[OSEN]