As reported, Lee Yi Kyung stated through his agency earlier today that his speech at 'AAA 2025' was not intended to take aim at Yoo Jae Suk by omitting his name. He further asked the public to accept his words at face value.
However, on an online forum, netizens discussed his remarks at length, with many dismissing his denial and arguing that even when taking the speech "at face value," the omission of Yoo Jae Suk still stands.
While a few defended Lee Yi Kyung, others emphasized that it is ultimately up to the public to decide whether his actions had a meaningful impact, with several commenters pointing out that he has "already caused harm" to the senior MC.
Some K-netizens also accused Lee Yi Kyung of "attempting to fool the public," criticizing him for having "already added fuel to his own fire" by creating an "obviously awkward moment during the show with his speech" instead of addressing the ongoing situation involving him and 'Hangout With Yoo' more directly or transparently.
Meanwhile, others noted that the issue was not solely the omission of Yoo Jae Suk’s name, but rather the overall "humorous tone" he used when "joking about 'SNL,'" which they felt made the audience "uncomfortable."
At the same time, some netizens urged caution against the rising wave of dismissal and hostility toward Lee Yi Kyung, suggesting that the full truth has yet to be revealed and that siding strongly with either him or Yoo Jae Suk could lead to more biased interpretations.
"Setting Yoo Jae Suk aside, even bringing up SNL like that was not a good look."
"He completely killed the mood at an awards show."
"He clenched his teeth to throw shade, and now that the reaction is bad, he’s backing out — legendary coward."
"How arrogant."
"Even if it wasn’t about Yoo Jae Suk, it was still such an awkward, out-of-place moment."
"Now that it looks like he took aim at Yoo Jae Suk, the public opinion is changing again lol this is funny."
"I didn’t really see it as a direct jab, but… celebrities must be exhausted dealing with this stuff."
"I didn’t know he had a drunk driving incident too."
"I accepted the speech as-is from the beginning without thinking he was being sarcastic."
"An entertainer who definitely knows how to properly mention colleagues during a year-end award acceptance… and he pretends to be clueless like this? Do you think the public is new to acceptance speeches? Why are you being so cheap about this?"
"It was obvious, but now that it's a controversy, suddenly it's ‘not a jab’ lol And he says he showed ‘confidence’ while knowing he shouldn’t say that at a celebratory event? lol Who cares how the listeners feel — as long as he feels confident… okay, sure. Not a good look at all."
"I supported Lee Yi Kyung, but who knew his acceptance speech would make him unlikeable…"
"This is exactly what passive-aggressive behavior looks like."
"Protect Yoo Jae Suk."
"You liked it when Yoo Jae Suk was getting bashed, didn’t you? Huh? Are you flustered because things didn't go the way you planned? Just quietly go your own way now."
"So if he doesn’t mention Yoo Jae Suk, that counts as a jab?? lol"
"It was obviously aimed at him."
"I don’t want to see him on variety shows anymore."
"They probably won’t cast him now because he’s scary…"
"Hey haters, all that stuff comes back as karma. Stop dragging innocent people and handle your own issues."
"Is a person really capable of being this shameless?"
"It clearly carried meaning. He brought up that incident, said he’d rest on Thursdays, and mentioned Joo Woo Jae and Haha. And that meant nothing? Did all those people bring up Yoo Jae Suk because they’re stupid?"
"This is exactly when he should watch his words."
"Why is he suddenly pretending he didn’t mean it?"
"I just took it at face value~?"
"It’s pathetic how he’s reacting now that the feedback is bad."
"I dislike him even more after that acceptance speech."
"The official statement made it even worse."
"So you planned to say later, ‘I never said it was a jab, so why are you making such a fuss?’ Was that the plan?"
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