“Asia Prince” Lee Kwang Soo will be leaving the cast of Running Man after 11 years.
Earlier this morning, multiple outlets reported Lee Kwang Soo’s exit from Running Man next month. According to the reports, the actor came to the decision due to his health issues.
Soon, Lee’s label King Kong by Starship confirmed the news through an official statement.
“Hello, this is King Kong by Starship.
We inform you that Lee Kwang Soo will be leaving SBS’s ‘Running Man’ after his final recording on May 24th.
Since his accident last year, Lee Kwang Soo has received numerous physical therapy. However, despite the continued treatment, he had difficulties maintaining his best physical condition during the shootings. After a lengthy discussion with the fellow members, the production team, and the agency since the accident, we ultimately concluded that he needed time to recuperate physically and mentally.
Lee Kwang Soo was like a family to the show for the past 11 years, so it wasn’t easy for him to come to this conclusion. Yet, we believe that the actor needs time to show better performances in the future.
We sincerely thank everyone for the love they showed to Lee Kwang Soo through ‘Running Man.’ And he promises to greet you all again with bright and healthy looks.”
Meanwhile, Lee spent more than 3,000 days as the regular host of Running Man, which premiered in July 2010. Since then, he has received much love as the “Traitor Giraffe.” Except for the time he was gone to recuperate from the accident, Lee Kwang Soo has always brought laughter to the small screen every Sunday.