Running Man cast members secretly met in Yeouido to discuss leaving Running Man together, in light of Kim Jong Kook and Song Ji Hyo being kicked off the show.
The current members, Yoo Jae Suk, HaHa, Ji Suk Jin, and Lee Kwang Soo met together to discuss leaving Running Man in protest. Song Ji Hyo and Kim Jong Kook were also present at this gathering of the cast members.
It was revealed earlier this week that Song Ji Hyo and Kim Jong Kook were removed from the show without being given advance notice or a real explanation.
The members of Running Man are known to be extremely close and share friendships that extend past the show. Former cast member Gary deleted all posts off his Instagram just one day before the news broke out and his only update since has been a photo of Song Ji Hyo and Kim Jong Kook.
Gary, Song Jihyo, and Kim Jong Kook give their first update for the first time since the Running Man scandal ? https://t.co/2VmkUjY3aQ
— Koreaboo (@Koreaboo) December 16, 2016
An insider close to the situation with intimate knowledge revealed more about this secret meeting amongst the Running Man crew:
“The Running Man members met together somewhere in Yeouido, Seoul to discuss [the current controversy]. Due to many unforeseen events such as Kim Jong Kook and Song Ji Hyo’s sudden removal from the show and Kang Ho Dong’s refusal to join [as a new cast member], things are very negative internally as well. They are wondering if it is the right thing to do to keep the remaining team together.
In the worst case scenario, they are all considering leaving the show. If this happens, it could potentially result in the entire show shutting down.”
Media began to report that Running Man would shut down after multiple internal meetings at SBS. Key parts of the statement report are translated below:
“On December 15th after a marathon of meetings, SBS has decided to end the show with the last episode set to air on the first week of January.”
SBS staff have, however, denied these rumors with the following statement:
“I haven’t heard of anything to do with shutting Running Man down. We are checking to see if any of this is true at the moment.”
— SBS
Stay tuned for more on this breaking story that’s developing. We will update our readers if SBS confirms or denies completely that Running Man will be shutting down.
Running Man x Kim Jong Kook & Song Ji Hyo Controversy
Source: Newsen, Bridge Finance, TV Report, and Sports Daily
