MBC 'What Do You Do When You Play?' Production Team Officially Apologizes for Lee Yi-kyung's Departure Controversy

The production team of MBC's variety program 〈What Do You Do When You Play?〉 has officially apologized regarding the process of actor Lee Yi-kyung's departure and the controversy surrounding the 'noodle slurping' scene.

On the 22nd, the production team posted a statement on their official social media, stating, "We sincerely apologize to Lee Yi-kyung, who was hurt, and to everyone who was concerned."

The production team explained, "Given the situation where personal rumors were being spread through the media, we judged that it would be difficult to continue with a variety program that needs to bring laughter to viewers every week," and added, "It is true that the production team first suggested to the agency that he leave the program."

Regarding the announcement on the 4th that Lee Yi-kyung's departure was voluntary, they clarified, "It was a minimum courtesy for the cast."

In particular, they addressed the controversial 'noodle slurping'(the act of eating noodles noisily) scene. The production team stated, "We asked Lee Yi-kyung to do the 'noodle slurping' to entertain the viewers, but we were too greedy," and admitted, "The failure to properly protect the cast was entirely the production team's fault."

During the airing of the episode, Lee Yi-kyung's appearance slurping noodles, with broth splattering everywhere, drew criticism from viewers for being unsanitary and unpleasant.

This apology came just a day after Lee Yi-kyung revealed on his social media that he had filed a lawsuit against the spreaders of personal rumors and expressed his disappointment towards the 〈What Do You Do When You Play?〉 production team.

Lee Yi-kyung faced difficulties last month as personal rumors related to him spread online, and his agency has filed a lawsuit against the rumor creator for spreading false information and defamation.