"The merit award is the flower of the entertainment awards" Lee Kyung-kyu's sincere feelings were contained within the laughter.
On the 30th broadcast of the 2025 SBS Entertainment Awards, the recipient of the merit award was veteran Lee Kyung-kyu, who is in his 45th year since debut. Kim Gu Ra, who came out as the presenter, unleashed a 'respectful dis' toward Lee Kyung-kyu in his trademark blunt manner, turning the venue into a sea of laughter.
Kim Gu Ra said, "Broadcast executives are so furious that they wonder 'do we have to do a program with this person'" and added, "If you edit out of that anger, at some point the hatred toward this person disappears and you end up marveling," provoking bursts of laughter. He continued, "I also like this person. Shameless, unfriendly and self-centered are his charms," and evaluated, "To be funny in variety shows, abandoning the virtues of a 'good person' boldly is an advantage." He added, "If you ask whether he is kind off camera, I cannot guarantee that," and "I hope he continues to work for a long time, making faces while still active,"
Standing on the stage, Lee Kyung-kyu started by making people laugh with "turn the music down a bit, I'm still speaking." He joked, "The flower of the entertainment awards is the merit award. It's not an award anyone can win," and quipped, "To receive this award you must have worked for more than 40 years without incident, and once you must have won the grand prize." He went on, "The last requirement is to have good character," and shouted, "So this merit award is the last award I will receive. The merit award should be abolished," overturning the audience.
Then he immediately changed his words to "No. I will receive it next year too. To exceed 40 years you must be without incident," prompting Yu Jae-seok to retort, "I am without incident," which set off another round of laughter. Lee Kyung-kyu replied, "People can be like that in life."
That day's joking remarks resonated more deeply as they coincided with feelings he recently revealed following the controversy over driving under the influence of prescribed drugs. Earlier, in July, Lee Kyung-kyu was sent to the prosecution without detention on charges of driving while taking prescribed medication. At the time he said he had been treated for panic disorder for 10 years and acknowledged responsibility, saying there was negligence in the process of driving himself to the hospital when his physical condition worsened.
Later on the tvN STORY program Leaving what for, Lee Kyung-kyu confessed, "It was so serious that I thought I might consider death during my life," and said, "The trauma lasted a long time." He also honestly shared, "When I told juniors that 'people in the world are not interested in you' when they see malicious comments, but when it happened to me, it felt like everyone was watching only me," evoking sympathy.
He added the bitter joke, "There was no news program I didn't appear on. It felt like doing 20 programs a week while no money was coming in," and confessed, "I worried a lot about whether to tell this or not, but I brought it up first." When asked, "Are you okay health-wise?" he answered, "I've become much kinder since that incident," regaining laughter.
From the jokes on the merit award acceptance stage to the confession hidden behind them — every word from Lee Kyung-kyu carried the weight of the time he endured, the moments he wavered, and the veteran's choice to smile again.
[Photo] 'broadcast screen
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