Entertainer Lee Hwi-jae’s return to television has drawn a cool response from some online commenters, according to reactions shared after his appearance.
Lee appeared on the March 28 broadcast of KBS2’s ‘Immortal Songs’ for a special titled ‘2026 Entertainment King of Kings.’
After performing Choi Ho-seop’s ‘As Time Goes By,’ Lee spoke about his recent life. Asked whether his twin sons, Seo Eon and Seo Jun, are now in middle school, Lee replied they are first-year students. When asked if they knew he was appearing on TV, Lee said they are now old enough to understand what he does.
“When they were younger, they didn’t really know. They said they thought I was a dad who kept going to work out,” he said. “But as four years passed, and I ended up taking a break because of my mistake, they came to understand.” Lee became tearful as he said his sons did not say it directly but wrote him letters.
Host Shin Dong-yup asked whether the letters comforted him and urged him to stay strong. Lee nodded, holding back tears, and added that they said they wanted him to work again.
After the episode aired, many online commenters reacted skeptically. Comments included: “Why does he have to be on TV — can’t he do manual labor?” “Do we have to give him a job because his kids cried? Emotional manipulation,” and “Bringing up his kids, really? Producers will decide. If he’s on, you can just not watch.” Others wrote, “It’s not like he suffered extreme hardship or was sick — why cry on TV?” and “Not a crime, but it’s rare to be this disliked.”
Lee debuted in 1992 on MBC’s variety program ‘Sunday Night.’ He later appeared on a range of entertainment shows. He faced controversy, including disputes with neighbors over apartment noise, and stopped broadcasting in 2022. He also spent time in Canada with his family. More recently, speculation about a comeback surfaced after his wife, Moon Jeong-won, resumed activity on social media.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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