'Much More Fun' Denies Cast Member's Personal Scandal as Reason for Hiatus, Cites APEC News Special

The production team of MBC's variety show 'Much More Fun' (tentative title, formerly 'Hangout with Yoo') has officially refuted claims that a hiatus is linked to a personal scandal involving cast member Lee Yi-kyung.

On October 30th, a representative from 'Much More Fun' stated to OSEN, "This week's broadcast cancellation is solely due to the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) news special broadcast, and has no connection to any personal issues of the cast members."

Earlier reports suggested that the program's hiatus on November 1st was a result of the cancellation of recordings over the past two weeks due to a personal controversy surrounding Lee Yi-kyung, a fixed cast member.

In response, a 'Much More Fun' official emphasized, "The recording schedule for 'Much More Fun' has always been flexible based on broadcast arrangements. The recent cancellations were a decision made due to the APEC news special, and are completely unrelated to any cast member's controversy." They added, "In line with the ongoing 'Insamo' project, next week's recording is scheduled to proceed normally, along with previously filmed content."

Lee Yi-kyung was recently embroiled in allegations of engaging in sexually explicit conversations, including references to sexual offenses, with an international netizen identified as 'A' via direct messages on social media. However, his agency denied these claims and announced legal action. Subsequently, 'A' abruptly apologized, deleted related posts, and clarified that the content was generated by AI.

'Much More Fun' features Yoo Jae-suk, Haha, Joo Woo-jae, and Lee Yi-kyung. It airs every Saturday at 6:30 PM KST, but will be preempted on November 1st for the APEC news special.

Korean netizens commented, "Glad to see the issue with Lee Yi-kyung's personal life seems to be cleared up," "It's reassuring that the reason for the cancellation is clear," and "'Much More Fun' often has broadcast changes, so this isn't too surprising."