Online posts about broadcaster Lee Hwi-jae’s time in Canada have resurfaced, drawing renewed attention.
On April 12, an online community re-shared a post that had appeared last month on “I Love Vancouver,” a Korean Canadian community site. The post asked whether anyone had actually seen Lee, after hearing he lived in Vancouver.
A Korean Canadian commenter, identified as A, replied that Lee was said to have lived in North Vancouver and claimed an acquaintance once ran into him on the street. When the acquaintance asked, “Aren’t you Lee Hwi-jae?” Lee “just ignored him and walked past,” A wrote.
A added that the acquaintance remembered the moment because Lee’s look seemed to convey, “Who is this guy acting like he knows me?” and that it left him feeling upset.
Another commenter wrote that Lee had “not a single” positive story circulating even after coming to Canada, adding that the accounts they had heard through acquaintances were only of a similar kind.
More comments followed, including claims that Lee was seen at times around West Vancouver and that some people had spotted him at shopping malls or grocery stores. Some users also criticized him while referring to past controversies and his return to television.
Lee appeared on the March 28 broadcast of KBS2’s “Immortal Songs” for a “2026 Entertainment King of Kings” special.
After performing Choi Ho-seop’s “As Time Goes By,” Lee spoke about his recent life.
Asked whether his two sons knew he was appearing on TV, Lee said they were now old enough to understand what he does. He said they did not really know when they were younger and thought he was a father who kept going to work out.
He said that over four years, as he ended up taking time off because of “my mistake,” they came to understand more clearly. He became tearful, saying they did not say it directly but expressed it in a letter, adding that they wanted him to work.
After the episode aired, many online commenters reacted coolly, leaving remarks such as, “Why does it have to be broadcasting — why not do manual labor?” and “He’s not a criminal, but it’s rare to be this disliked.”
* This article has been translated by AI.
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