'I should've put in more effort': Song Ji-hyo over viewers telling her to leave Running Man
South Korean actress-host Song Ji-hyo.
PHOTO: Screengrab from YouTube/Ddeunddeun
PUBLISHED ONSeptember 04, 2023 8:04 AMBySyarifah NadhirahDealing with negative comments could be difficult, but South Korean actress-host Song Ji-hyo took them in stride when she got them.
The 42-year-old appeared on Running Man co-star Yoo Jae-suk's YouTube series Just An Excuse with Ji Suk-jin and Haha, who also star in the long-running hit variety show.
After some friendly banter, Jae-suk, 51, brought up a serious topic: "I don't know how she (Ji-hyo) feels about me bringing this up but there was an episode where she didn't talk much."
Earlier in June, Ji-hyo was under fire after netizens claimed that she looked disinterested throughout recent Running Man episodes.
South Korean media reported that viewers even demanded that she leave the show due to her "lacklustre" performance.
After seeing the slew of articles, Jae-suk said he was worried about Ji-hyo.
"Jae-suk called me and said, 'Ji-hyo, have you read the articles?' I hadn't yet," recalled Ji-hyo.
Jae-suk then told her not to read them or search her own name on Google, and also comforted her.
"You don't need to bury yourself in it. Rather than talking about it with a long explanation, you just need to do your best from next week," he told her back then.
Despite what he advised her, curiosity got the best of Ji-hyo. She said in the DdeunDdeun episode: "The amount I searched about myself on the internet at the time was more than I did the past year."
She added that she got "fixated" on what he said.
"Ji-hyo was really upset about the situation. She said, 'I should've put in more effort. I was being quiet that day'," continued Jae-suk.
Choosing to see the incident in a positive light, Haha, 44, remarked that Ji-hyo seemed "motivated" after the criticism.
She agreed: "I called Suk-jin and said I'd do my best. I said, 'Bring me into the conversation more, please.'"
"It certainly became a turning point for her," attested Suk-jin, 57.
Ji-hyo said Jae-suk and Suk-jin supported her a lot during that period but didn't elaborate.
Known as Ace Ji-hyo for her ability to accomplish tough missions, the actress was initially a guest on Running Man when it first aired in 2010 but became a regular cast member after a few episodes of the first season.
In recent months, Ji-hyo has been involved in a tussle with her talent management agency Uzurocks which reportedly owed her 900 million won (S$923,000). She spoke to the press in May to fight for her colleagues who were also owed salaries.
Reports stated that she even paid for a colleague's medical bills which amounted to 10 million won.
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