Actor Lee Yi-kyung has been at the center of various controversies after leaving Hangout With Yoo, and Yu Jae-seok personally mentioned his name and offered a message of support. Because the remark came amid misunderstandings that arose from an acceptance speech, it has drawn even more attention.
Yu Jae-seok won the grand prize at the 2025 MBC Entertainment Awards held on the 29th. Holding the trophy to his chest, he said, I don't know how to properly express my gratitude, and first thanked his parents and family. He then expressed affection for his wife, saying, I'm also grateful to Na Kyung-eun, who has always been by my side and supported me.
Yu Jae-seok also did not forget to thank the Hangout With Yoo team he appears on. He said, I'm sincerely grateful to Haha and Woo-jae for joining me, then added, I want to say they all really worked hard and I am thankful to Jinju, Miju and Lee Yi-kyung, who were with us until this year but regrettably left. In particular, he drew attention by directly mentioning Lee Yi-kyung's name, who recently stood at the center of controversy.
This drew even more attention as it coincided with the so-called Yu Jae-seok targeting controversy that recently flared. Earlier, Lee Yi-kyung won the AAA Best Choice award at the Asia Artist Awards 2025 held on Dec. 6 at the Kaohsiung National Stadium in Taiwan. At the time, in his acceptance speech he conveyed personal feelings along with expressions of gratitude, and his remark, I miss Haha hyung and Woo-jae hyung, was interpreted intriguingly by some netizens.
In particular, because Yu Jae-seok's name was not mentioned, speculation continued that it was intentionally omitted or that it was an indirect expression of dissatisfaction about leaving, and the controversy spread.
Regarding this, Lee Yi-kyung's agency Sangyoung ENT drew an immediate line. The agency told OSEN, Please accept Lee Yi-kyung's acceptance speech as it is, and said, There was no intention to target or aim at Yu Jae-seok or any specific individual. It went on to explain that the notice of leaving was conveyed through production meetings and that at no point did they raise an issue about Yu Jae-seok's intentions.
They added that on the day the departure was notified, Lee Yi-kyung spoke directly with Yu Jae-seok and they encouraged each other, ending the conversation on a good note with, let's meet later, and said, afterward there was never any negative remark made about Yu Jae-seok.
In a situation where misunderstandings continued, Yu Jae-seok mentioning Lee Yi-kyung's name in public and offering support is being seen as a meaningful message beyond a simple greeting.
[Photo] OSEN DB
[OSEN]