Yoo Jae Suk Controversy Ends: What Happened?

The "passing controversy" between actor Lee Yi-kyung and Yoo Jae-suk has been resolved through Yoo Jae-suk's acceptance speech at the '2025 MBC Entertainment Awards'. In his acceptance speech for the grand prize, Yoo Jae-suk mentioned the members who had left the show 'How Do You Play?' and stated, "​Our Jin-ju, Mi-ju, and Yi-kyung, you all worked so hard. I really wanted to express my gratitude." This marks the end of the controversy that arose when Lee Yi-kyung did not mention Yoo Jae-suk in his past acceptance speech.

Previously, Lee Yi-kyung was embroiled in a "Yoo Jae-suk passing controversy" after mentioning only his 'How Do You Play?' castmates Joo Woo-jae and Haha during his acceptance speech at the '2025 Asia Artist Awards', omitting Yoo Jae-suk. At the time, Lee Yi-kyung's agency, Sangyoung ENT, clarified, "It was not an intentional snub of Yoo Jae-suk, and there was no reason for it." The agency also added that Lee Yi-kyung had been informed of his departure from 'How Do You Play?' by the production team and had not inquired whether it was Yoo Jae-suk's decision. They also revealed that Lee Yi-kyung had spoken with Yoo Jae-suk on the day he received the notice of departure and shared their regret.

Meanwhile, the entertainment industry is in a state of turmoil with various controversies ahead of the year-end awards ceremonies. Actor Cho Jin-woong announced his retirement from the entertainment industry following allegations of juvenile delinquency during his minor years, as well as accusations of assault and drunk driving as an adult. Comedian Park Na-rae decided to halt her broadcast activities due to allegations of power abuse, embezzlement, and illegal medical practices, stepping down from shows like MBC's 'I Live Alone' and tvN's 'Amazing Saturday'. Comedian Jo Se-ho was caught in rumors of ties with organized crime, but his agency acknowledged some factual basis while denying the allegations and threatening legal action.

Actor Lee Yi-kyung faced the Yoo Jae-suk passing controversy following rumors about his personal life. The controversy arose when he omitted Yoo Jae-suk's name while mentioning the cast members of 'How Do You Play?' during his acceptance speech at the '10th Asia Artist Awards 2025'. His agency had previously clarified that it was not an intentional snub of Yoo Jae-suk.

The '62nd Baeksang Arts Awards' ceremony concluded successfully. Ryu Seung-ryong won the Grand Prize in the Television category, and Yoo Hae-jin won the Grand Prize in the Film category. Ryu Seung-ryong received the award for JTBC's drama 'The Story of Mr. Kim Who Works at a Large Corporation', while Yoo Hae-jin won for the film 'The King and the Man'. Notably, Ryu Seung-ryong set a historic record by winning the Grand Prize in the Television category after previously winning the Grand Prize in the Film category at the 49th awards. Yoo Hae-jin was selected as the Grand Prize winner in the Film category after 11 years.