Korean Netizens Call For Song Ji Hyo To Leave “Running Man”
Netizens are criticizing Song Ji Hyo‘s poor showing in recent Running Man episodes.
On the June 25 episode of Running Man, audiences watched as Song Ji Hyo watched from the side as the show’s members, Jeon So Min, Kim Jong Kook, Haha, and Yang Se Chan, improvised a comedy skit.
Audiences then watched Song Ji Hyo silently smile to herself during a scene in which the members were eating noodles and talking.
After the episode aired, netizens criticized the actress’s lackluster performance, with some stating, “She is worse than usual” and that “She is on one show per week. Is it hard for her to be enthusiastic?”
The criticism follows a string of episodes in which audiences felt the actress seemed disinterested. Many expressed their disappointment in the member nicknamed “Ace,” who once carried full episodes with her wit and jokes.
- “To be honest, she’s been like this for a long time. She has gotten worse recently.”
- “Song Ji Hyo doesn’t look like she wants to leave, and neither do the other members… I guess they are hanging on due to their international fans… She’s basically getting paid to do nothing.”
- “If she had been her usual self until the recent drama with her label, Running Man fans would have defended her and waited for her. I feel the people who defend her are the ones who don’t watch the show.”
- “She doesn’t say anything unless Yoo Jae Suk talks to her… And it isn’t like she’s able to create a skit on her own. She doesn’t even joke back at members anymore.”
- “I am someone who likes Song Ji Hyo, but it’s obvious when watching the show or YouTube clip that she’s been like this for a long time. I’m not saying she needs to make people laugh, but she doesn’t really seem interested. She doesn’t focus at all.”
- “She actually goes through her phone while filming? Wow.”
- “I am an avid fan who watches Running Man every day, and it’s hard to say she’s like this because of her feud with her agency. Ji Suk Jin is also on the label, and Haha was still the consummate professional while his child was ill. He didn’t let his child’s illness affect him (filming) at all. To be honest, I don’t mind her, but I hate to see the other members and the show’s staff get criticized because they try to give her screen time.”
- “You guys are just dazed by nostalgia. She’s been really bad recently.”
- “I think it’s time that she makes the decision (to leave).”
Some fans even called for the actress, who is one of the original cast members of the show, to leave Running Man altogether.
- “Her getting criticized has become a routine. If she doesn’t want to change, then she should leave the show. If she wants to stay, she should take the criticism.”
- “She has been criticized for many years now, and she still hasn’t changed. If she doesn’t want to leave completely, I wish she would take a break from the show to recharge…”
- “She should decide to leave on her own. She’s been so bad recently.”
- “If she’s having a hard time, isn’t it best that she leave?”
- “Song Ji Hyo is my favorite character, but I want her to leave. I hate to see her getting criticized.”
- “It just feels like she doesn’t match the show anymore, and I feel like she’s tired. I think this is a decision for her to make on her own.”
- “I think a member change is needed.”
Still, there were some netizens who defended her, citing her recent feud with her label. Recently, it was revealed that the actress had not been paid in months by her label.
Meanwhile, Song Ji Hyo was a rising actress when she first joined the original cast of Running Man. Recently, the leading actor appeared in K-Dramas, Was It Love?, Lovely Horribly, and Listen To Love.
