'Running Man' members are all hoping together for Jee Seokjin to win the grand prize.
Recently aired SBS 'Running Man' was staged as the 'product raid year-end settlement' Race. As members took the 'Running year-end hearing' to protect their product badges, a scene in which they pressured the member chosen as representative by saying, "Answer only 'yes/no'" drew laughter. However, this was not a simple hearing but a 'behavior command checklist' mission that predicted and guessed the members' words and actions.
The person who first became the topic that day was Jee Seokjin. Members teased his 'ambition for the grand prize' by guessing the phrases and reactions he often uses. When asked, "Do you think you will be a candidate for the 2025 entertainment awards?" Jee Seokjin snappishly replied, "I wasn't nominated," and said firmly, "I'm not someone who craves the grand prize. I don't cling to it." Yet he changed his words and caused uproarious laughter by adding, "If they give it, I'll accept it."
When Kim Jong Kook asked, "Weren't you upset when I received the grand prize?" Jee Seokjin reiterated, "No. I don't excessively crave it." But as Kim Jong Kook pushed the mood and said, "I think it's time they give it to you," Jee Seokjin gave an embarrassed smile, saying, "You don't have to. It's burdensome."
This scene resonates more deeply because the 'entertainment grand prize' remains a special pain for Jee Seokjin. He was considered a strong candidate in 2021 and afterward but ultimately did not win the grand prize, and especially last year, it drew much attention when his close friend Yu Jae-seok won the grand prize instead of him.
When Jee Seokjin appeared on KBS Cool FM 'Park Myung Soo's Radio Show' at the time, he brushed it off coolly, saying, "That day it was just that the variety show banter piled up. I would have congratulated whoever won," but he also amused people with an anecdote about Yu Jae-seok giving him a rough(?) congratulation, "Congratulations, puppy." Yu Jae-seok also in his acceptance remarks once shared, "I felt so sorry for Jee Seokjin," revealing mixed emotions.
Over a long time leading 'Running Man,' Jee Seokjin has been a figure who has received both expectations and regrets toward the grand prize. Perhaps because of that, the reactions members showed at this 'Running Man' hearing felt more touching. Kim Jong Kook's remark, "It's time to give it to you," did not sound like a mere joke but like a sincere cheer from a colleague.
Jee Seokjin was actually nominated for the '2025 SBS Entertainment Awards' grand prize.
On the '2025 SBS Entertainment Awards' grand prize nominee list, prominent figures such as Yu Jae-seok, Jun Hyun-moo, Tak Jae-Hoon, Shin Dong-yeob, Lee Sang Min and Seo Jang-hoon were named, and Jee Seokjin was also included.
Whether colleagues' wishes for Jee Seokjin can become reality on the stage, viewers' support and interest continue.
[Photo] 'OSEN DB, broadcast screen
[OSEN]