The agency is facing controversy over a false explanation surrounding actor Lee Yi-kyung's exit from MBC's Hangout With Yoo. Contrary to the agency's official stance that it never asked whether Yu Jae-seok was behind the decision, a specific recording was released in which the agency's head directly pressed about Yu Jae-seok's involvement.
On the 17th, the YouTube channel "Entertainment President Lee Jin-ho" released a call recording with Park, the head of Sangyeong ENT. In the call, Lee Jin-ho asked Park, "Didn't you say that after being advised to step down, you asked, 'Whose decision is this? Is it Mr. Yu Jae-seok's?' Was there a particular reason you specifically mentioned the name Yu Jae-seok?"
Park replied, "Isn't it simply that? For me and for the public, who would we naturally think Hangout With Yoo belongs to? Wouldn't he stand above the main CP or others? As far as I know, (Yu Jae-seok) also works on the format and such. Then wouldn't (Yu Jae-seok) be a very senior figure on this program?"
He went on, "Didn't the production team keep saying it was 'decided from above'? So I asked, 'Who is above—Mr. Yu Jae-seok?' I only asked because I didn't know whether it was Mr. Yu Jae-seok, that glasses-wearing person on TV, or the MBC president."
He added, "Timing is the point. A rumor about (Lee Yi-kyung) came out. But the next day it disappeared as manipulated by artificial intelligence (AI). The broadcast aired that week. That was all. And because we met on Monday, I was actually more flustered and had nothing to say."
Earlier, Lee Yi-kyung left Hangout With Yoo in the wake of allegations raised by a German woman about his private life. The production team announced it was due to scheduling issues, but later Lee Yi-kyung himself said, "I was advised to step down and chose to leave voluntarily," sparking a dispute over the truth.
Earlier, at an awards ceremony held in Taiwan on the 6th, when Lee Yi-kyung mentioned only Haha and Joo Woo-jae in his acceptance speech and did not name Yu Jae-seok, some raised suspicions that he was taking aim at Yu Jae-seok. The agency explained, "There was absolutely no targeting of Yu Jae-seok," adding, "Please take the acceptance speech as is."