Kang Ho Dong has officially turned down any offers to become part of the “Running Man” crew after details emerged of the allegedly unfair dismissal of Kim Jong Kook and Song Ji Hyo.
Following reports yesterday that the two members would be leaving the popular show, it soon became clear that the two members were actually dismissed from the show. Due to poor ratings and a decline in popularity, the show has been trying new formats and concepts to boost the number of viewers again. When none of these methods had the results they were hoping for, the production crew decided to restructure the show as “Running Man Season Two” and cut some of the current members.
According to the most recent reports, Kim Jong Kook’s agency was informed by telephone only two days ago that his last filming date would be December 19th. In a statement from Song Ji Hyo’s agency, they revealed that they heard the show would be reformatted with two members leaving, but they didn’t know Song Ji Hyo was one of those members until the morning the news broke in the media.
According to one source, Ms. Song’s agency only became aware she was being dismissed upon reading about it in the news. However, the label has decided to take the high ground by saying that although there was an unfortunate miscommunication and handling of the news, they were accepting the production team’s decision and there were no hard feelings.
The poor handling of the situation and the decision to let Kim Jong Kook and Song Ji Hyo go has left many fans disgruntled and unhappy. Due to the resulting controversy, Kang Ho Dong, who was announced to be in talks to join the show as a new cast member, made a statement to let people know that he will not be joining after all. His label stated, “We do not know all of the details of the situation, but Kang Ho Dong does not want his casting to make any viewers uncomfortable.”
Will this controversy affect the rest of the cast? Will the show be able to move forward for a successful new season? Let us know your thoughts below!
Media: WTK