Actor Lee Yi-kyung stepped into the center of various controversies after leaving Hangout With Yoo, and Yu Jae-seok personally mentioned his name and offered a message of support. The remark drew even more attention because it came amid ongoing misunderstandings stemming from an acceptance speech.
Yu Jae-seok won the grand prize at the 2025 MBC Entertainment Awards held on the 29th. Embracing the trophy, he said, "I don't know how to properly express my gratitude" and first gave thanks to his parents and family. He then expressed affection for his wife, saying, "I also thank Na Kyung-eun, who has always been by my side and been my strength."
Yu Jae-seok also did not forget to express gratitude to the Hangout With Yoo team he appears on. He said, "I sincerely thank Haha and Woo-jae who have been with me," and added, "I especially want to say thank you and that you worked really hard to Jinju, Mijoo and Lee Yi-kyung, who were with us until this year but regretfully left." In particular, he drew attention by directly mentioning the name of Lee Yi-kyung, who had recently been at the center of controversy.
This drew more attention as it coincided with the so-called "Yu Jae-seok targeting controversy" that recently surfaced. Earlier, on the 6th, Lee Yi-kyung won the "AAA best choice" category at the Asia Artist Awards 2025 held at Kaohsiung National Stadium in Taiwan. At the time he expressed personal feelings along with thanks in his acceptance speech, and the remark "I miss Haha hyung and Woo-jae hyung" was interpreted by some netizens as having a deeper meaning.
In particular, because Yu Jae-seok's name was not mentioned, speculations such as "was he deliberately excluded?" and "was this a roundabout expression of dissatisfaction over leaving?" continued and the controversy spread.
In response, Lee Yi-kyung's agency Sangyoung ENT immediately drew a line. The agency told OSEN, "Please accept Lee Yi-kyung's acceptance speech as it was," and added, "There was absolutely no intention to target or aim at Yu Jae-seok or any specific individual." It went on to explain, "His departure was communicated through production meetings, and at no point did we question Yu Jae-seok's intentions in that process."
They also added, "Even on the day the departure was notified, Lee Yi-kyung spoke directly with Yu Jae-seok and they encouraged each other, finishing the conversation on a good note by saying, 'See you later,'" and said, "He never made negative remarks about Yu Jae-seok afterward."
In a situation where misunderstandings continued like this, Yu Jae-seok mentioning Lee Yi-kyung's name in public and offering support is being received as a meaningful message beyond a simple greeting.
[Photo] OSEN DB
[OSEN]