[Sports Seoul | Reporter Wi Su-jeong] Veteran broadcaster Lee Hwi-jae bowed his head before the cameras for the first time in four years.
On the March 28 edition of KBS 2TV's Immortal Songs, during the \"2026 Entertainment King\" special, Lee broke down in tears as he addressed past controversies and the hiatus that followed.
\"It's been a long time since I've greeted everyone. I can't honestly say I've been doing well,\" he said, adding that he had been traveling between Korea and Canada with his wife and children and using the period for personal reflection.
He described the break as time spent with his family and an opportunity to revisit the mistakes he'd made. He said he had anticipated backlash after producers reached out and reports surfaced, noting, \"I got a lot of malicious comments.\" Lee added that he even texted the production team to say he could bow out if his presence became too burdensome, but the crew offered him strong support.
For his performance, Lee selected Choi Ho-seop's \"When Time Passes,\" explaining, \"The lyrics fit my situation and really resonated with me.\" He admitted the pressure was intense — it was his first TV appearance in years and he was expected to sing. \"Three weeks ago I experienced sleep paralysis. I dreamt I was filming and needed to speak, but my mouth wouldn't open,\" he said, describing his nerves.
On stage he told the audience, \"I'm grateful and I'm sorry. Many emotions are running through me,\" then choked up and broke into tears. He promised to sing \"as plainly and honestly as possible\" and finished the number with evident sincerity.
In a conversation with host Shin Dong-yup after the performance, Lee made clear his hope to return to broadcasting. \"When I got the offer, I couldn't put it into words. I wondered if I'd ever get another chance like this,\" he said, noting that the taping fell on his mother's death anniversary and that he felt her presence that day.
He grew emotional again when speaking about his twin sons, Seo-eon and Seo-jun. \"They're old enough now to understand what their dad does. They also learned I had to step back for four years because of my mistakes,\" he said. He added that, while they didn't say it aloud, his sons wrote letters expressing that they hoped their father would work again.
Lee suspended broadcasting activities after 2022 and spent the intervening years traveling between Korea and Canada with his family. His appearance on Immortal Songs marked his return to television after a four-year absence. wsj0114@sportsseoul.com
