South Korea’s most decorated TV host Yoo Jae-suk won the grand prize at the 2025 MBC Entertainment Awards on Sunday, extending his record-breaking career total to 21 top honors and earning praise for his inclusive remarks amid recent controversy surrounding a former castmate.
Yoo received the Daesang, or grand prize, at a live ceremony held at MBC’s Media Center in Seoul on Sunday evening. It marked his ninth Daesang win at MBC alone, setting a new all-time record at the broadcaster.
The award brings Yoo’s career total to 21 grand prizes across major Korean networks, a milestone unmatched in the country’s entertainment industry.
“Earlier I joked the odds were 49%, but I should have said 51%,” Yoo said with a laugh during his acceptance speech, first thanking longtime collaborators Haha and Joo Woo-jae from MBC’s flagship variety show How Do You Play?
He then drew attention for publicly acknowledging former cast members who left the program this year, including Lee Yi-kyung, whose departure followed personal controversy and public criticism of the show’s production team.
“I want to say thank you and well done to Park Jin-joo, Lee Mi-joo and Lee Yi-kyung, who were with us until this year,” Yoo said, prompting applause from the audience.
Lee Yi-kyung exited How Do You Play? last month after private messages involving explicit content were made public, triggering backlash and his eventual removal from the program. He later claimed his departure was not voluntary and accused the production team of misconduct, leading MBC to issue a public apology. The controversy resurfaced when Lee omitted Yoo’s name while thanking fellow cast members at a separate awards event.
Yoo’s decision to acknowledge Lee during his speech was widely seen as a gesture of professionalism and leadership.
The veteran host also emphasized the behind-the-scenes efforts of production staff, highlighting the unpredictable and fast-paced nature of weekly variety programming.
“Our show changes week to week, and sometimes there are situations no one can anticipate,” Yoo said. “So many staff members work tirelessly to make sure the broadcast goes out on time. This award belongs to them as well.”
He went on to thank viewers for their continued support, calling it “an honor” to stand on the stage more than 20 times thanks to the dedication of production crews across the industry.
“Everyone here is someone’s precious son or daughter,” Yoo said. “It’s because of your passion and effort that I’ve been able to stand here over 20 times.”
Reflecting on his career, Yoo noted the symmetry of his journey. He won his first grand prize in 2005 and his 21st in 2025.
“No one knows the future,” he said. “I don’t know if it’s possible, but I’ll keep working hard toward 30.”
Yoo closed his speech by wishing viewers a positive start to the new year and reaffirming his commitment to How Do You Play?
The 2025 MBC Entertainment Awards aired live Sunday night and were simulcast in Japan via KNTV, with Jun Hyun-moo and Jang Do-yeon serving as hosts.
