Immortal Songs: Lee Hwijae Returns with First Win

Comedian Lee Hwi-jae has returned to broadcasting on KBS 2TV's entertainment show "Immortal Songs" after a four-year hiatus. He appeared on the "2026 Entertainment King of Kings Part 1" episode of "Immortal Songs," which aired on the 28th.

On stage, Lee Hwi-jae passionately sang Choi Ho-seop's "As Time Goes By," sharing his feelings about his return. Before singing, he cautiously said, "​I thought the lyrics fit my situation well, so I decided to sing it," and asked viewers to watch with the mindset of "'He's thought a lot during these four years before coming back.'"

Lee Hwi-jae had previously suspended his broadcasting activities in 2022 due to various controversies, including a noise dispute with a neighbor.

Returning to broadcasting after four years, he said, "The day I received the casting call happened to be my mother's death anniversary, so I thought my mother was helping me." He also expressed his feelings about his return, stating, "​When I was doing a lot of work in the past, I didn't know how precious it was, but I'm so happy to be on my way to Yeouido and to gain energy from meeting my colleagues."

On this day's broadcast, Lee Hwi-jae secured his first win by defeating comedian Moon Se-yoon. However, he narrowly lost to the team of comedian Kim Shin-young and singer Chun Dan-bi at the threshold of winning Part 1.