Eventually a "voluntary exit" ending… the vacancies left by Park Na-rae and Cho Sae-ho, the broadcasting industry says "no successors"
Broadcaster Park Na-rae and Cho Sae-ho, after successive controversies, have stepped down from all major variety shows they were appearing on, and production teams said they will maintain the existing member structure without successors for the time being.
First, tvN's 'Amazing Saturday,' from which Park Na-rae departed, told OSEN on the 9th, "There are currently no plans to recruit a new member after Park Na-rae's departure." Accordingly, upcoming recordings will proceed with an eight-member lineup without Park Na-rae.
Park Na-rae became embroiled in successive scandals, beginning with allegations of abusive behavior by a former manager, followed by suspicions of embezzlement of funds, allegations of illegal medical practices, and controversy over not registering a one-person agency, and ultimately announced a suspension of activities. Former managers claimed so-called "abusive conduct" such as verbal abuse and assault, proxy prescriptions, and unpaid hosting fees, and applied for real estate provisional seizure, and the controversy rapidly spread in the process.
Park Na-rae's side rebutted, saying, "The former managers, even after leaving the company, received severance pay normally and still made additional monetary demands," calling the claims false and pursued legal action, but public sentiment did not subside. In the end, Park Na-rae left MBC's I Live Alone and Home Alone! Homez as well as tvN's Amazing Saturday, disappearing from the broadcasting scene. Having been an original member of "Amazing Saturday" for about seven years, there was great interest in her vacancy, but production held off on recruiting a new member.
Around the same time, Cho Sae-ho was also embroiled in allegations of ties to organized crime and voluntarily left the variety shows he was appearing on. On the 9th, KBS2's 2 Days & 1 Night said officially, "After Cho Sae-ho's departure, the program will continue with a five-member format for the time being."
Cho Sae-ho became the center of controversy over revelations about his ties with Mr. Choi, known as a ringleader of a violent gang in the Geochang area. The whistleblower A alleged that Cho Sae-ho promoted Choi's franchise and received expensive gifts, releasing photos. In response, Cho Sae-ho's side denied the claims as false, saying, "Choi is merely an acquaintance and there is absolutely no transactional relationship," and announced plans for legal action.
But as the controversy did not die down easily, Cho Sae-ho voluntarily left both tvN's You Quiz on the Block and KBS2's 2 Days & 1 Night. His agency A2Z Entertainment said, "We did not want to place a burden on viewers and production staff," and added, "We plan to pursue legal action to clear up misunderstandings and recover the damaged image."
The 2 Days & 1 Night production team also said, "We respect the decision made after careful consideration by the cast member and the agency," and explained, "Except for previously recorded segments, Cho Sae-ho will not participate in future recordings." They drew a line, saying there are no plans to recruit additional members for the time being.
Despite the successive voluntary departures of Park Na-rae and Cho Sae-ho, both Amazing Saturday and 2 Days & 1 Night chose to maintain their existing formats without successors. As a result, both programs are expected to meet viewers for a while in this format, leaving "vacancies." Attention continues on what aftershocks the consecutive departures of these two representative entertainers will leave for the broadcasting industry, and whether their return will become possible depending on future judicial rulings and shifts in public opinion.
[Photo] 'OSEN DB'
[OSEN]