Lee Yi-kyung, who has been having a hard time recently because of private life rumors, personally mentioned the process of leaving Hangout With Yoo, and the pointed remarks of those who previously left the program are being reexamined. In particular, Shin Bong-sun shared a meaningful post on social media that has become a hot topic.
Lee Yi-kyung was removed from MBC Hangout With Yoo due to the spread of private life rumors that took place through online communities and social media. Officially, the news of his departure was conveyed on the 8th through the mouths of Yoo Jae-suk, Haha and Joo Woo-jae.
Yoo Jae-suk said, "Over the past three years or so, Mr. Yi-kyung worked hard with us, and as many of you know from the articles, he had a lot of drama and film schedules, so he ended up leaving." He added, "We coordinated with production and he left after the schedule," repeatedly emphasizing that Lee Yi-kyung's departure was due to a schedule issue, not a scandal over his private life.
Joo Woo-jae also defended Lee Yi-kyung, saying, "He had too many schedules for several months," and Haha lamented that "he should have said goodbye but the scheduled farewell was delayed," expressing regret that Lee Yi-kyung left without a farewell. Yoo Jae-suk asked, "The broadcast was postponed and dates were pushed back, so he wasn't able to say goodbye. Please understand this. Please support Mr. Yi-kyung a lot going forward." Afterwards the Hangout With Yoo members cheered for Lee Yi-kyung, saying, "You worked hard, Yi-kyung," "You worked hard!" and "Good job!"
However, after Lee Yi-kyung's departure from Hangout With Yoo, revelations about his private life continued to spread as if the rumors were established facts, and ultimately Lee Yi-kyung had no choice but to personally refute the rumors rather than have his agency issue an official statement.
On the 21st Lee Yi-kyung said on his personal account, "The reason I did not speak out earlier was that my agency asked me to refrain from commenting until we retained a lawyer and completed criminal complaints against the spreaders," and added, "A few days ago I visited the Seoul Gangnam Police Station and underwent a complainant statement investigation. I conveyed my position on the rumors and completed the complaint procedures for intimidation and defamation by spreading false information."
Lee Yi-kyung said he felt enraged at every moment. He said a person who claims to be German, whose identity and existence are unknown, has repeatedly appeared and disappeared as if months earlier they had sent a threatening email to his company, and the company calmed him down once again by saying there was no reason to engage in a truth dispute over false information.
Lee Yi-kyung said he was advised to leave Hangout With Yoo, saying, "It was called fabrication and disappeared in one day, but because of that I was advised to leave the entertainment program, and we chose to leave voluntarily. During the previous face-slapping controversy I clearly said I didn't want to do it, but because of me they borrowed a noodle restaurant and asked, and my line 'We're doing it as entertainment!' was edited out. When the controversy later escalated, the production team only said the absurd thing that they were in a hurry, and the controversy was left for me alone to bear, and my image suffered great damage."
He continued, "I was told I would only appear in other entertainment shows via VCR, but I found out from articles that I was replaced," and said, "I am currently shooting without changes. I recently finished filming the movie 'Sedae Yugam,' and filming for a Vietnamese movie, an overseas drama and variety shows is progressing well." Lee Yi-kyung made clear he would respond firmly, emphasizing, "The ending you are curious about will come shortly after an arrest warrant is issued and a suspect is identified. Even if the person is in Germany, I will go there in person to file the complaint. There will be no leniency for malicious commenters."
Lee Yi-kyung directly expressed his grievance, mentioning not only what he experienced during the departure process but also the face-slapping controversy that caused major damage to his image this year. His actions were no different from those of members who left Hangout With Yoo.
Having not previously commented on the remarks of departing members, the Hangout With Yoo side issued an official statement on Lee Yi-kyung's post. The production team said, "We apologize to everyone who loves Hangout With Yoo for causing concern with this matter. On the afternoon of Friday the 21st, among the posts Mr. Yi-kyung put up, we will speak openly about the issues related to Hangout With Yoo," they announced.
First, regarding the face-slapping controversy, the production team said, "The face-slapping situations Mr. Yi-kyung mentioned were the production team's fault for not protecting the cast. To give viewers laughter, Mr. Yi-kyung improvised face-slapping situations during filming for the Hong Kong and Japan episodes, and at the time the production team judged the reaction was not bad," adding, "We later asked Mr. Yi-kyung to do the face-slapping again to provide more fun, but our greed went too far."
Regarding the departure, they said, "With the spread of Mr. Yi-kyung's private life rumors through the media, we judged that it would be difficult for him to continue on a variety program that must provide weekly laughter."
According to the production team, as Mr. Yi-kyung mentioned, the production team first asked his agency to advise him to leave, and the production team said it would respect the agency's decision even if the agency made the departure request public. Afterwards, the agency contacted them to say it would choose a voluntary departure due to scheduling.
Hangout With Yoo said, "From the standpoint of the production team that recommended his departure, we thought it was the minimum courtesy for Mr. Yi-kyung and asked the cast to mention he was voluntarily leaving due to schedules agreed with the agency, and we relayed that on air. The cast followed our request as a consideration for Mr. Yi-kyung. We ask you to refrain from criticizing or making conjectures about other cast members."
Earlier, Jung Joon-ha and Shin Bong-sun, who left the program in 2023, had on several occasions expressed discomfort through variety shows. Shin Bong-sun revealed, "After finishing Hangout With Yoo we talked and said, 'We understand. It seems the production team or we are uncomfortable,'" adding, "I'm not resentful and I understand, but I am also precious, so I can't ignore my feelings." She also exposed, "(Senior Jung Joon-ha) fell into drinking for a week after hearing about leaving," and Jung Joon-ha said, "I drank a lot in my life; it wasn't crying but wailing."
Lee Mi-joo, who was loved for her unique chemistry with Yoo Jae-suk, recently said on YouTube, "It wasn't a dismissal; it was a natural agreement reached while talking with the PD," but added, "I wasn't entirely without regret."
In this situation, Shin Bong-sun's post and photo uploaded to her personal account on the 24th drew attention again. She posted a photo containing the phrase "Do not force me to fold myself for someone who does not respect me" and added, "A good morning quote toss." Some speculate that the phrase carries a meaningful message, intersecting with Lee Yi-kyung's recent revelations.
As revelations from cast members keep repeating whenever someone leaves, viewers are expressing concern about the production team's communication ability. Beautiful departures are rare, but repeated awkward separations on Hangout With Yoo are leaving many disappointed.<
[Photo] OSEN DB, YouTube capture, video capture, official poster
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