Broadcaster Lee Hwi-jae said he was happy to be invited to 'Immortal Songs'.
On the afternoon of the 28th, KBS2's 'Immortal Songs' was presented as the 2026 entertainment industry king of singers contest, featuring Kim Shin-young & Cheon Dan-bi, LALAL, Moon Seyoon, the Gag Concert 'Chatflix' team, Park Joonhyung, Song Il-guk & Oh Man-seok (musical 'The Hague' team), Lee Chan-seok, Lee Hwi-jae, Cho Hye-lyeon, Hong Seok-chun and a total of 10 acts.
Having lived in Canada with his wife and twins and having been swept up in immigration and retirement rumors, Lee Hwi-jae returned to meet viewers on television for the first time in about four years since MBN's 'Battle in the Box' ended in January 2022.
Appearing on stage fourth after Moon Seyoon, Lee Hwi-jae, when asked about his recent life, calmly said, "If I talk about the four years it would be too long. I spent precious time with my family and because I made many mistakes along the way it was time to look back at them one by one."
He, who selected Choi Ho-seop's "If Time Goes By," said, "It fit my situation well and resonated with me, so I dared to sing it," and confessed, "I was anxious. It had been a while and singing brought pressure. A few weeks ago I was frightened by scissors. In my dream I was recording and I had to speak but my mouth wouldn't open. I realized I had been off the air a lot."
In a pre-interview, Lee Hwi-jae replied, "After I got the invitation call the article came out and I expected it, but I sent a text to the production team. I said if it was going to be too burdensome they didn't have to bring me out, but the production team kindly gave me a lot of strength."
He, who said he even shed tears during rehearsal, said, "I was inadequate, lacking, and made mistakes, and who knows that better than myself? Now there's no way to turn back time, so if someone gives me something now I thought I can only do my best with it."
Asked how he felt about being invited, he said, "I couldn't put it into words. I wondered a lot whether the opportunity would come to me again. Ironically, the day I got the invitation call was my mother's death anniversary. I thought my mother must be helping me," and added, "I pray a lot every day. When I worked a lot I didn't know the value of it. The road to Yeouido is so pleasant. It's so nice to meet colleagues and get energy from them, and honestly I was so happy when I got the invitation call."
[Photo] capture of broadcast screen
[OSEN]