[Sportschosun Reporter Lee Ji-hyun] Comedian Yang Sang-guk expressed his gratitude to Yoo Jae-suk, who helped lead him to a second heyday. His confession drew even more attention because he had previously faced backlash over his attitude toward Yoo Jae-suk.
The 14th episode of KBS2’s 'Malja Show' featured a 'Two Outs in the Bottom of the Ninth' special, with comedian Yang Sang-guk, Kim Gi-yeol returning after two weeks, Asian Games judo commentator Lee Won-hee, and volleyball commentator Kim Yo-han.
Yang Sang-guk’s appearance that day came after the production team had spent no less than four months inviting him to join the show. Explaining why he had been unable to appear until then, Yang Sang-guk said, "I couldn’t come because I was appearing on a program on another network in the same time slot. I’m taking a short break now, so I came on."
After breaking a hiatus of roughly 10 years and entering a second heyday, Yang Sang-guk credited MBC’s 'Hangout with Yoo' and Yoo Jae-suk.
Yang Sang-guk stated, "I became popular after appearing on 'Hangout with Yoo.'" He added, "Whenever filming ends, Yoo Jae-suk always calls me and sends me text messages."
He continued, "He says, 'Sang-guk, see you again.' Those words—'see you again'—are like a spell to me. I keep waiting to hear them."
Yang Sang-guk then joked, "He said, 'See you again,' but I felt disappointed because we hadn’t seen each other much recently." He added, "Fortunately, I saw him again this week," hinting at another appearance on 'Hangout with Yoo.'
Yang Sang-guk’s special affection for Yoo Jae-suk drew even more attention because it recalled the earlier controversy over his attitude.
On the YouTube web variety show 'Pinggyego,' released last May, Yang Sang-guk disagreed with Yoo Jae-suk while discussing his views on relationships. At the time, he called him "Mr. Yoo Jae-suk" and said, "If you say one more thing, I’ll scold you," prompting some viewers to criticize his manner toward his senior as disrespectful.
As the controversy grew, Yang Sang-guk personally apologized on social media, saying, "I’m so sorry for making you uncomfortable" and "I’ll be more careful." In a subsequent interview, he also bowed his head again, saying that he seemed to have acted somewhat excessively on the show because he felt pressured to make people laugh.
Yoo Jae-suk also did not turn his back on his junior after the controversy. When he met Yang Sang-guk again on a later episode of 'Hangout with Yoo,' Yoo Jae-suk expressed concern about Yang’s weight loss and advised him, in essence, "You need to be careful as you become a star. From now on, you just need to reflect and make sure it doesn’t happen again." Yang Sang-guk accepted the advice, replying, "That’s right," and the two continued appearing together on television even after the controversy.
Yang Sang-guk debuted as a 22nd-generation KBS comedian recruited through an open audition and was active on shows including 'Gag Concert.' Although his television activities had slowed for a while, he recently drew renewed attention on 'Hangout with Yoo' with his so-called 'Gimhae Crown Prince' character, entering a second heyday.
olzllovely@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
