Broadcaster Lee Hwi-jae, was his comeback after four years burdensome? He entered the recording hall of 'Immortal Songs' to avoid reporters.
Today (16th) at the KBS new building public hall in Yeouido-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, a recording of KBS 2TV 'Immortal Songs' (hereinafter 'Immortal Songs') is being held. The recording is styled as the "2026 entertainment industry king of singers special," and Lee Hwi-jae returns through 'Immortal Songs' after four years.
As Lee Hwi-jae returns after four years, many reporters gathered at the 'Immortal Songs' arrival scene. Park Joonhyung, Hong Seok-cheon, Park Seong-gwang, Cho Hye-lyeon, Song Il-gook, Moon Seyoon and Lee Sang-hoon appeared to attend rehearsal, but Lee Hwi-jae could not be found.
It is known that Lee Hwi-jae entered the recording hall by another route to avoid reporters. He seemed to avoid appearing in front of reporters because the attention focused on his comeback was burdensome.
Lee Hwi-jae is participating in the 'Immortal Songs' recording, but public opinion is not favorable. Reactions of "I don't want to see him" are predominant. The 'Immortal Songs' producer told OSEN, "This time they are not singers but people who have released albums. We also had a process of selecting and inviting performers, and Lee Hwi-jae probably considered many programs. During that time, talks with us went well, so he decided to appear," and added, "I don't think he declared retirement or anything like that. We are not opening the door to his comeback at all. We were just doing an entertainers special, and Lee Hwi-jae had released albums before, and above all, we could not ignore his nationwide recognition and fame. Considering that, we reached out to invite him."
Several controversies influenced Lee Hwi-jae's development of a strongly unfavorable image. His wife Moon Jung-won was embroiled in a backdoor advertising controversy in 2020, and in 2021 conflicts arose over noise between floors caused by their twin sons.
Then in 2022, another controversy spread when Moon Jung-won was accused of "eating and running" for not paying for toys at an amusement park she visited with the children. At the time, Moon Jung-won deleted most posts from her social media and YouTube channel and suspended activities.
Also reexamined was the past incident in which a signed CD given by a girl group appeared on a used goods trading site and caused controversy. The CD had the inscription "To. Senior Lee Hwi-jae," which intensified the controversy, and at the time the agency said the item was managed by a manager, that they could not identify the leak route, and expressed regret.
After these controversies, Lee Hwi-jae effectively stopped broadcasting activities. He then went to Canada with his family for a break, and is now back in Korea preparing to return to broadcasting. However, his wife Moon Jung-won and their twin sons are still reported to be living in Canada.
With an unfavorable image still lingering, attention is focused on whether Lee Hwi-jae can change public perception with this comeback.
[Photo] OSEN DB
[OSEN]