Broadcaster Lee Hwi-jae began his comeback after four years in tears and ended it with laughter. With criticism and support circulating, attention is focused on whether Lee Hwi-jae will fully resume broadcasting activities.
Lee Hwi-jae appeared on television for the first time in four years through the KBS 2TV variety program 'Immortal Songs' aired on the 28th of last month as part of the '2026 entertainment industry king of singers' special. Ten teams appeared, including Lee Hwi-jae, Kim Shin-young & Chae Dan-bi, LALAL, Moon Seyoon, Park Joonhyung, Song Il-gook & Oh Man-seok, Cho Hye-lyeon, Hong Seok-chun and others.
As debates continued even before his return, Lee Hwi-jae became the undisputed focus of this special. Lee Hwi-jae said, "It's really been a long time since I greeted you," and added, "It would be a lie to say I was fine. Going back and forth between Korea and Canada with the children and my wife gave me a lot of personal time to think," updating on his recent life.
That day Lee Hwi-jae chose Choi Ho-seop's 'If the years go by' and defeated Moon Seyoon to earn one win. About his song choice, Lee Hwi-jae said, "It fit my situation and resonated with me," and confessed, "I felt pressured. A few weeks ago I had sleep paralysis. I was dreaming that I was recording, and I had to speak but my mouth wouldn't open. I realized I had been off the air a lot."
Lee Hwi-jae appeared tense throughout. In the teaser released before the broadcast, he repeatedly moistened his lips as if his mouth were dry while going on stage, trembling with nervousness. At times he bowed his head and hesitated as he went on stage, and at other times he was moved to tears, bringing attention.
Regarding his whereabouts over the past four years, Lee Hwi-jae said, "I spent valuable time with my family, and because I made many mistakes along the way, it was time to look back on them one by one," adding, "I was lacking and made mistakes, and who knows that better than the person themself? 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."
In particular, Lee Hwi-jae drew attention by mentioning his twins Seo-eon and Seo-jun in this broadcast. They appeared on the KBS 2TV variety program The Return of SUPERMAN from 2013 and received much love.
Speaking about his twin sons who are now first-year middle school students, Lee Hwi-jae said, "Actually, they have reached an age where they know exactly what their dad does. When they were young they didn't really know. They said they thought I was a dad who went to exercise. As four years passed, they came to understand exactly that I had to take a break because of various mistakes I made. They didn't say it aloud but wrote me letters. They said they want me to work. They will be so happy to see me on TV," he revealed. Lee Hwi-jae also showed tears while mentioning Seo-eon and Seo-jun.
Contrary to his tearful and nervous appearance, Lee Hwi-jae seemed much more relaxed on the broadcast on the 4th. In the second part of the '2026 entertainment industry king of singers' aired that day, Lee Hwi-jae laughed more comfortably. After finishing his stage and securing a win in part one, he displayed his aptitude as an MC once the full talk segment began.
In a warm atmosphere with colleagues, when Kim Joon-hyun asked, "Isn't it a mood of biting into each other after a long time?" Lee Hwi-jae wittily replied, "The writer teams already said 'the recording is long' and 'it takes a long time,' but honestly I don't mind even if it goes on until the day after tomorrow. It's been so long since I've laughed like this. I'm so happy."
When the participants' talk heated up, he naturally sat in the MC seat and helped organize it. He focused the confused participants and asked, "How did you see it?" to sort out the flow. Kim Joon-hyun admired Lee Hwi-jae's presence as an MC, saying, "This brother fits here." Encouraged by his colleagues, Lee Hwi-jae relaxed, smiled and enjoyed the broadcast.
Lee Hwi-jae had acquired an 'unfavorable' image due to controversies over his attitude and controversies related to his wife Moon Jung-won. As controversies piled up, Lee Hwi-jae halted activities and left for Canada. He announced his comeback through 'Immortal Songs' after four years, but he was met with negative public opinion even before the broadcast. With support and criticism continuing after the broadcast, attention is turning to whether Lee Hwi-jae's full-fledged return will follow.
[Photo] OSEN DB, KBS 2TV broadcast screen capture.
[OSEN]