National MC Yu Jae-seok has been embroiled in noisy issues from the end of the year into the new year. In fact, Yu Jae-seok committed no wrongdoing, but he keeps being summoned because of scandals around him. It evokes pity to the point of wondering if he needs to perform a ritual now.
At the 2025 MBC Entertainment Awards held at the end of last year, winners were presented with toy bouquets made of Lego instead of fresh flower bouquets along with trophies. From rookie award winner Kim Yeon-kyung to grand prize winner Yu Jae-seok, the same bouquet was consistently handed out.
On the 9th, the Korea Florists Association issued a statement saying, "The use of toy bouquets could inflict further wounds on floriculture farmers and florist workers who are struggling due to economic downturn and reduced consumer spending. There is a concern that fresh flower bouquets could be perceived as inefficient and problematic."
The association said, "Some 20,000 small florist businesses and many floriculture farms are engaged in the domestic floriculture industry, so fresh flower consumption is directly linked to their livelihoods," and criticized, "The government is also policywise supporting flower consumption promotion and the spread of a flower-living culture through the Act on the Development of the Floriculture Industry and Promotion of Floriculture Culture, so a widely influential broadcast program using toy flowers could pour cold water on such policy efforts."
The association said it plans to forward the position to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the government ministry in charge of the floriculture industry. This is the first time a terrestrial broadcaster has replaced fresh flower bouquets with toy bouquets.
Netizens reacted in various ways after reading the floriculture industry's statement. Those who saw no problem with using Lego bouquets commented, "Isn't it up to the user to choose whatever they want to use?" and "It was refreshing and nice," while those who sympathized with the floriculture industry's view said things like, "I'm not saying toy bouquets are bad, but they really feel like toys to give at an awards ceremony, so not great," and "I think there's a reason other places don't do it."
When fellow cast members who worked with Yu Jae-seok were consecutively embroiled in controversies and stepped down, Yu Jae-seok, as the main MC leading the program, felt responsible and personally took charge of damage control. First, Lee Yi-kyung, who appeared on Hangout With Yoo, left the program over personal life rumors. The program initially claimed his departure was due to overseas schedules, but later Yu Jae-seok was mentioned in discussions about the background of the departure.
In addition, Cho Sae-ho, who appeared on You Quiz on the Block, was accused by a whistleblower of maintaining a relationship with a figure linked to organized crime and receiving expensive gifts; an account that collects celebrity crime reports claimed Cho Sae-ho promoted that person's franchise, joined drinking gatherings with them, received favors and even published photos.
In response, agency A2Z Entertainment immediately refuted the claims. On the 5th A2Z said, "That person was merely an acquaintance met at an event, and there was absolutely no paid gift or inappropriate relationship." The agency added, "We are reviewing civil and criminal measures against false claims and rumor spreading and will take a zero-tolerance approach."
Ultimately Cho Sae-ho said he would step down from programs such as 2 Days & 1 Night and You Quiz on the Block and lay low, but among some netizens there are repeated claims that Yu Jae-seok "should properly rein in his colleagues" and "was not guilty of inaction while knowing about it."
Although the controversy did not start with Yu Jae-seok, innocent Yu Jae-seok keeps getting pulled into it. It is saddening to realize the weight of the crown of "national MC" can be so heavy.
[photo] OSEN DB, Antenna, Lego
[OSEN]