Lee Hwi-jae 'only looking at his phone' while giving acceptance speech... Controversy over banner saying 'Waiting for Kim Yong-gun' ['KBS Entertainment Awards']

Broadcaster Lee Hwi-jae has been embroiled in a bad manners controversy.
Photo by '2021 KBS Entertainment Awards' broadcast screen capture

[Asia Economy Online Issue Team] At the '2021 KBS Entertainment Awards,' broadcaster Lee Hwijae's attitude and the banner of 'The Return of Superman' (hereinafter Superman) became the center of controversy.

Lee Hwijae won the Best Couple Award with announcer Lee Hyunju at the '2021 KBS Entertainment Awards' broadcast on the afternoon of the 25th. Lee Hwijae and Lee Hyunju co-host the KBS 2TV entertainment information program 'Live Entertainment Weekly.'

When Lee Hwijae was called to the stage as an award recipient, he said, "It seems like there isn't much time left, but Lee Yeonbok is dozing off. I'll finish quickly," adding, "I'm getting texts from acquaintances asking if Heo Jae has been drinking. For now, I say no." Then, after quickly reading the names of acquaintances who sent him congratulatory messages, he shouted, "Seo Jun, Seo Eon, listen to your mom!" and left the stage.

Viewers who saw this criticized him, expressing discomfort with comments such as, "It's annoying that he kept looking at his phone while announcer Lee Hyunju was giving her acceptance speech," and "The acceptance speech lacked sincerity."

Photo by '2021 KBS Entertainment Awards' broadcast screen capture

Criticism from viewers also continued regarding the 'Superman' banner. The banner read, "Waiting for Korea's Supermen. Kim Yonggeon, Kim Gura, Jo Jungseok, Go Soo, Ryu Hyunjin, Taeyang, Chen, Bobby, Chansung." This listed the names of celebrities who recently announced the birth or pregnancy of their children, seemingly indicating a lineup they wish to invite to the program in the future.

The 'Superman' production team appeared to have made a witty casting proposal, but some of the celebrities listed had been involved in premarital pregnancy controversies, which viewers found unpleasant. Kim Yonggeon was previously embroiled in controversy over allegedly pressuring a woman to have an abortion, while EXO's Chen and iKON's Bobby faced heavy criticism from fans due to sudden announcements of premarital pregnancies and marriages.

Some viewers criticized the banner as "crossing the line," saying, "Why include the name of someone who pressured an abortion?" and "Even if it's a joke, the celebrities named would feel uncomfortable."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.