Korean actor Lee Kwang-soo received a “sentence” of 1,050 years for his antics on his farewell episode on the Korean TV show “Running Man.”
“Running Man” aired its episode on June 13, which became a hilarious and tearful tribute for Lee Kwang-soo, who was announced to be leaving the show in April due to an injury he suffered last year in a car accident. He taped his last episode on May 24, which aired Sunday.
Lee Kwang-soo was one of the original cast of “Running Man,” which premiered in Korea on July 11, 2010 and earned the nickname “Prince of Asia” because of his popularity among fans of the show in Asian countries.
He got into a car accident on Feb. 15, 2000, which injured his ankle. He returned to the show after a few weeks in crutches.
"We are here to inform you that Lee Kwang-soo is leaving 'Running Man.’ His last shooting will be on May 24. Lee Kwang-soo has been trying to treat his injury since last year, but it was difficult to maintain his best condition during filming due to the injury. Following a long discussion with us, 'Running Man' members and the production team, Lee Kwang-soo decided to take some time off and step down from 'Running Man,’” his agency King Kong by Starship Entertainment said, according to SBS News.
In the June 13 episode, the producer announced, “Kwang Soo is about to end his 11 years on ‘Running Man’ now. For the past 11 years on ‘Running Man,’ Kwang Soo has committed lots of sins and mischievous acts.”
The show invited former judge Jung Jae-min to analyze Kwang-soo’s mischief over 559 episodes since he started nearly 11 years ago.
According to the show, Kwang-soo committed a total of 3,353 “mischievous acts”: Property damage - 58 times, assault - 353 times, public indecency - 37 times, fraud - 1,812 times, bribery - 52 times, theft - 147, defamation and insults - 857, and misdemeanors - 37.
The judge said based on his “crimes,” he is “sentenced to 1,050 years in prison,” which elicited laughter from Kwang-soo and other cast members.
And in order to free Kwang-soo from his prison sentence, the members needed to perform missions and train him.
At the end of the show, the show announced that “Kwang-soo is released after serving his full sentence.”
The episode ended in tears as Kwang-soo bid his co-stars goodbye and they read out loud their letters for him.
“Members, you helped me become the person I am today and gave me another family. Thank you so much. I am sorry. Again, I am sorry. I didn't do well over the past 11 years but I think I did my best. Every week, the 'Running Man' members do their absolute best. Please continue to give the show a lot of love and attention. Thank you,” said Kwang-soo.