Actor Kong Hyung-jin is under fire for his on-stage hosting at the FEBC 70th anniversary “Homecoming Day” special performance on October 17, where his repeated teasing of musical actress Cha Ji-yeon split viewers between those calling him rude and those insisting it was just banter between old friends.
According to Sports Seoul, Kong and Cha were co-hosting the event at Hanyang University in Seoul when the tension began with a simple greeting. Cha bowed deeply and said, “Annyeonghasimnikka, sunbaenim” (“Hello, senior”). Kong replied, “Since I’m your senior, greet me once more,” and Cha bowed again.
Xports News reported that Kong later pointed at a screen reading “Musical Actress Cha Ji-yeon” and grumbled, “Why isn’t my photo there? I’m way more senior than her.” Cha quickly apologized, and Kong brushed it off with “Because she’s trending.” When Cha began introducing the next act with “As the sun sets…,” Kong cut in, “Why are you acting? Just be normal,” raising his voice. Cha replied, “I’m usually like this.” Moments later, as Cha sang a line of “Bulg-eun No-eul” from the musical Gwanghwamun Love Song, Kong shouted “Cut, cut!” to stop her, telling the audience, “This was originally my line, but she took it. Today’s Cha Ji-yeon’s day, so I’ll let it slide.” Cha waved it off, saying she was no star of the day.
The event was livestreamed on YouTube, and on the morning of October 18 a fan of Cha posted a clip to social media, writing that watching it felt “nerve-wracking, uncomfortable, unpleasant and upsetting.” The clip spread rapidly, approaching 500,000 views. Netizens quoted in the reports said they “felt uncomfortable the whole time,” calling Kong “too rude” and “too much of a kkondae,” with one adding that calling her “yaega” and “jiga” was inappropriate. Others pushed back, noting the two share a long senior-junior relationship and that the tone recalled Cha’s past appearance on Kong’s radio show, arguing the jokes came from familiarity and deserved context.
The incident is especially sensitive for Kong, who returned to broadcasting in August on MBN’s Sokpul-i Show Dongchimi after a roughly seven-year hiatus. On the show he revealed that business failures and personal hardship had kept him off the air. Sports Seoul also recalled his 2020 claim to be an avid fan of the YouTube channel Garosero Research Institute during the Joo Jin-mo phone-hacking scandal, which drew criticism at the time.
As of publication, neither Kong nor Cha’s side has issued an official statement, and the debate over where the line sits between senior-style banter and on-air rudeness continues.
