"National MC, Answer" Yoon's Appearance on 'You Quiz', Arrow Turns to Yoo Jae-seok

Hyeon Geuntaek "Reveal Reasons for Moon Jae-in, Kim Boo-kyum, and Lee Jae-myung Declining Appearance"
Yoo Quiz Side "Do Not Recklessly Trample Our Flower Garden"

President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol, who appeared on tvN variety show 'You Quiz on the Block' on the 20th./Screenshot from tvN broadcast

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Joo-hee] After the appearance of President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol on the tvN variety show 'You Quiz on the Block (You Quiz),' host Yoo Jae-suk found himself in an awkward position. There have been repeated claims that former President Moon Jae-in, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum, and Lee Jae-myung, Senior Advisor of the Democratic Party of Korea, also sought to appear on You Quiz but were rejected because they were politicians, sparking a 'biased casting controversy.'

Hyun Geun-taek, former spokesperson who worked in Lee’s presidential campaign committee during the last election, mentioned on Facebook on the 26th that Yoo’s agency announced legal action against malicious comments and argued, "Before taking legal measures, they should first answer why President Moon, Prime Minister Kim, and Advisor Lee were not allowed to appear on You Quiz."

Former spokesperson Hyun referred to claims that other politicians who sought to appear on You Quiz besides President-elect Yoon were rejected because the host felt uncomfortable having politicians on the show. He then asked, "Is it true that You Quiz tried to refrain from having politicians appear? Isn’t Yoon Seok-yeol a politician? If Yoo Jae-suk is the people's MC, shouldn’t he answer such questions and take legal action?"

Pro-government food columnist Hwang Kyo-ik also commented on the controversy, saying, "When political controversies arise related to cultural activities, the cultural figures involved should boldly state their positions. It’s frustrating that such confidence as a cultural figure is not shown," and pointed out the need for a clear explanation from the production team regarding President-elect Yoon’s appearance process.

However, Hwang added, "Do not ask Yoo Jae-suk to make a statement about Yoon Seok-yeol’s appearance on You Quiz. Yoo Jae-suk is only the host of You Quiz, and the host does not have decision-making authority over guest selection," emphasizing that Yoo should not be held responsible for Yoon’s appearance.

The production team of You Quiz, embroiled in political controversy due to the appearance of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, indirectly expressed their feelings through the "My Production Diary" segment on the broadcast on the 27th. / Photo by tvN

The You Quiz production team and CJ ENM, which operates tvN, have not issued a clear statement regarding the process of President-elect Yoon’s broadcast appearance and the refusal of other politicians to appear. However, according to a report by Edaily, the You Quiz production team said, "What we want to make clear is that the speculative reports claiming the MC was uncomfortable with politicians and therefore rejected their casting are absolutely not true," adding, "The MC does not intervene at all in the production team’s casting, and the production team does not place any burden of choice on the MC."

As the controversy continues into its second week after President-elect Yoon’s broadcast appearance, the You Quiz production team indirectly expressed their position on the situation on the 27th. At the end of the broadcast, a subtitle appeared stating, "The journey with the two (Yoo Jae-suk, Jo Se-ho) has undergone many changes, sometimes worn down by the tides of the times, but the way we look at people is something we have wanted to protect as if it were our life. Therefore, we can proudly proclaim: Please do not trample or carelessly pluck our flower garden. Our flower garden belongs to people more beautiful than flowers. In time, you will understand. This diary was written with the production team’s heart so as not to be ashamed of the future me." This is interpreted as a defense that there was no special political purpose.

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