Actor Lee Yi-kyung. Photo Sports Kyunghyang DB

Actor Lee Yi-kyung, who has been facing hardship such as stepping down from broadcasts due to recent rumors related to his private life, shared his feelings at an awards ceremony.

On the afternoon of the 6th (Korean time), at the 2025 Asia Artist Awards (AAA 2025) held at Kaohsiung National Stadium in Taiwan, Lee Yi-kyung received the Best Choice Award.

Attending the event in person and receiving the award, he said in his acceptance speech, “It may not fit the festive atmosphere, but if I try to say it, it feels like being hit by hail that was not in the forecast recently,” expressing the distress he experienced due to the private-life rumors.

He then warned, “The suspect is sending emails of apology and pleas for leniency to the company email address, but they will be caught without fail.”

He also mentioned MBC ‘What Do You Do When You Play?’, which he left at the recommendation of the production staff after the rumor emerged. Lee Yi-kyung said, “‘SNL Korea’ are you watching. I am taking Thursdays off now (the recording day for ‘What Do You Do When You Play?’).” He added, “I miss HaHa and Joo Woo-jae,” naming colleagues who had appeared with him.

Earlier, in October, Lee Yi-kyung became embroiled in private-life rumors due to a post on an online community by a netizen who claimed to be German. His agency has filed a complaint against A. After spreading the rumor, A soon said it had been “fabricated with AI,” but kept changing statements, fueling confusion.

Subsequently, through SNS (social networking service), Lee Yi-kyung stated that he had been advised to step down by the ‘What Do You Do When You Play?’ side, effectively taking aim at the production staff, which also sparked controversy.