Disliked by the controversy over 'eat and run' ★, the first greeting in two Korea years is 'stolen to work'...Lee Hwi-jae returned to "Immortal." [Star Issue]

*This content was translated by AI.

With comedian Lee Hwi-jae (54, real name Lee Young-jae) set to return after four years, negative public opinion is rising.

Lee Hwi-jae started his comeback with KBS 2TV's 'Immortal Songs' special of the "2026 Entertainment World King's Fair."

This is the news of his first appearance on an entertainment show in four years. Lee Hwi-jae stopped his entertainment career in 2022 after being the MC of KBS 2TV's 'Yeonjung Live'. That year, when the news of his departure to Canada with his family spread, rumors of his retirement arose.

The background of "retirement theory" was largely due to being branded as "unlikeable" to viewers, not because of social water. At one point, Lee Hwi-jae was popular on KBS 2TV's "Superman is Back" by telling the daily life of his twin sons and wife Moon Jung-won. However, Lee Hwi-jae made the public turn around by repeatedly saying and doing rash things. Crucially, when he was the MC of the "2016 SBS Acting Awards," he caused controversy over his "non-manner progress" with a rude attitude toward actor Sung Dong-il, sealing his "dislikes" image. At the time, Lee Hwi-jae said, "I think my greed to have fun on live shows was too much. I've already told Sung Dong-il about my apology," he said, bowing down.

On top of that, Lee Hwi-jae's wife, Moon Jung-won, caused a controversy over "back advertising" in 2020, and the following year, he was embroiled in a controversy over "floor noise." In addition, suspicions of "toy eating and running in the amusement park" erupted one after another, and he was beaten. As a result, not only Lee Hwi-jae but also Moon Jung-won suffered a great blow to his image, and the distance from the public became uncontrollable.

Four years have passed since then, but the situation has not changed in the face of cold public opinion. Conscious of negative public opinion, Lee Hwi-jae also quietly entered the recording studio of "Immortal Songs" held at the KBS New Hall in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 15th. He did not stand in the photo line on his way to work, and gave a glimpse of the burden of his return.

With this return, Lee Hwi-jae's past "dislikes" issues have been dug up, and Netizen's criticism has grown again. "The broadcasting station is just amazing," "I just won't watch it," "The broadcasting station makes viewers laugh," "The celebrity and the broadcasting station don't care about the viewers," and "The viewer board says they don't watch Lee Hwi-jae when he comes out, but they keep coming out even though they know he's causing inconvenience to other celebrities. In other ways, most of the negative comments are great, "Why are you avoiding me if I'm proud?" "Why are you broadcasting if you're going to avoid the camera?" and "Why are you coming out when you know you won't be welcomed?"

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*This content was translated by AI.