MBC’s variety show “Hangout with Yoo” (2019-) on Saturday addressed actor Lee Yi-kyung’s allegations of being pressured to voluntarily leave the show and the controversy over the “noodle slurping” segment.

“We apologize to everyone who loves ‘Hangout with Yoo’ for the concern caused by this incident,” the team said in a statement released on Instagram. “We will address the issues related to the show that were raised in Lee’s post openly and honestly.”


It acknowledged that the production team requested Lee to perform the noodle slurping segment, which drew negative reactions from viewers after it aired, saying that it was “a result of the production team’s failure to adequately protect its cast member.”

“During the Hong Kong and Japan shoots, Lee spontaneously performed the noodle slurping segment to entertain viewers, and at the time, the production team judged that the reaction was not bad,” it explained. “Later, we asked him to perform it again for added entertainment, and in hindsight, our request was excessive.”

It continued, “Lee’s line ‘It’s just for fun as part of the show!’ was edited out, and we failed to fully consider the audience’s sentiment, which caused hurt to Lee and discomfort to viewers. We tried to convey the message that it was meant for fun, instead of the line that was edited out, through another line, ‘Once again, for fun...’ and on-screen captions, but it was insufficient.

“After the controversy arose, we apologized to Lee and quickly edited in the explanation segment of the noodle slurping scene for the following week’s broadcast. However, we recognize our shortcomings in not fully resolving the issue and apologize again to Lee and all those who were affected.”

The team also noted that they apologized to Lee after the backlash began and quickly edited the explanation segment about the scene into the June 14 episode, which was originally scheduled to air the following week.

The production team said that they initially suggested Lee leave the show after rumors about the actor’s personal life emerged. The actor was recently the subject of controversy surrounding his personal life, which began when a woman who identified herself as a German citizen uploaded a series of posts on her blog in October, accusing Lee of sexual harassment.

“Considering the nature of a weekly variety show that must deliver laughter, we judged it difficult for him to continue participating,” the team said. “As Lee mentioned, the production team initially recommended that his agency consider his departure. We told the agency that we would respect their decision if they chose to publicize the recommendation. Subsequently, Lee’s agency informed us that it decided to go with him voluntarily stepping down due to scheduling conflicts.”

The team also asked to refrain from criticism or speculation directed at the show’s other cast members, saying, “Having suggested his departure, the team viewed it as the minimum courtesy to ask the cast to mention that he was leaving voluntarily due to scheduling agreed upon with the agency, which was aired on the show.”

The production team added, “We will carefully and thoroughly review the entire production process to ensure that cast members’ efforts to entertain are not distorted. Once again, we sincerely apologize to Lee and everyone who was concerned or hurt by this incident.”

Previously, on Friday, Lee spoke out on his Instagram regarding the recent controversy surrounding his personal life and his departure from “Hangout with Yoo.”

In the post, he said that he was “furious” about the person claiming to be German who had allegedly accused him of sexual harassment — a claim he strongly denied. He sued the individual and emphasized that he would show no leniency.

He also addressed his departure from the show and the noodle slurping segment in his post, explaining that he was asked to leave and that the performance was requested by the show’s production team.



This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM EUN-BIN [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]