Actor Lee Yi-kyung spoke about his feelings at his first public appearance since the private life rumors, drawing attention because Yoo Jae-suk's name was not mentioned.
On the 6th at the National Stadium in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, at the "10th anniversary Asia Artist Awards 2025" (AAA 2025), Lee Yi-kyung took the stage as the AAA best choice winner.
He said, "I sincerely thank the officials who gave me this voice and award at the end of 2025," and began by saying, "I also want to thank the head of my agency."
He then directly addressed the recent controversy over rumors about his private life and continued his acceptance remarks. He said, "It may not be a remark that fits a festival. Recently, I felt like I was hit by hail that wasn't in the weather forecast," and he publicly noted, "The suspect is currently sending apologies and requests for leniency to our company's email. We will catch them no matter what," drawing attention.
In particular, he said, "Are you watching 'SNL Korea'? I'm off on Thursdays now," indirectly describing his departure from Hangout With Yoo, and added, "Haha hyung, I miss Woojae hyung at (Ju)" Then some pointed out that he did not mention Yoo Jae-suk's name and scrutinized the intention behind that omission.
Meanwhile, Lee Yi-kyung suffered after being embroiled in rumors following the revelations by A, who claimed to be German. His agency Sangyoung ENT said, "None of the content is true. There was no agreement, and we are pursuing civil and criminal responses to the spreading false information," and Lee Yi-kyung also maintained a hardline stance, saying, "Search and seizure procedures are underway and the complaint has already been filed."
Amid the controversy, he left MBC's Hangout With Yoo without saying farewell, and his joining KBS2's The Return of SUPERMAN also fell through. In particular, Yoo Jae-suk said on air, "Over the past three years, Lee Yi-kyung worked hard with us, and as many people know from the articles, he had a lot of drama and film schedules, so he had to leave," and added, "We coordinated with the production team and he left after the schedule," explaining the reason for his departure from Hangout With Yoo.
However, later Lee Yi-kyung expressed his displeasure on his SNS about the behind-the-scenes of leaving Hangout With Yoo, saying, "It was the production team's recommendation," and Hangout With Yoo went through the pain of issuing an apology.
In the process, Yoo Jae-suk was criticized by some for not protecting a junior who was being forced to leave. Ultimately, agency Antenna announced on the 5th a tough response policy to malicious posts and false rumors, warning, "Consuming or redistributing unverified content as if it were fact is subject to the same legal responsibility."<
[Photo] OSEN DB / Weverse capture
[OSEN]