Yoo Jae-suk reveals why he canceled a recording for the first time in his 35-year career

Broadcaster Yoo Jae-suk has explained why he canceled a same-day recording for the first time in his 35-year career — a decision that drew wide attention for the consideration it showed toward viewers.

Yoo spoke about the incident in a video titled "Churi Game is Just an Excuse," released Saturday on the YouTube channel Tteuntteu, describing how he had called off a taping of the SBS variety program "Tteummanyamyeon," last month.

"I usually push through and show up even when I'm not feeling well," Yoo said. "But that morning my throat hurt so badly and I had a slight fever, and I kept thinking, 'What if it's COVID or the flu?'"

He said the format of the show made him hesitant to proceed. "If it were just a recording with the regular cast members, I could have gone to the hospital, recovered a bit, and come back to tape. But 'Tteummanyamyeon,' involves meeting members of the general public and moving around to different locations, so I wasn't confident I could do it," he said. "I had no choice but to ask for their understanding."

Yoo said he was grateful for the outpouring of concern that followed news reports about the cancellation. "So many people reached out and worried about me — I was truly thankful," he said, while reassuring people that his condition had not been serious. "I wasn't that sick. I went to the hospital in the morning, got a shot, and thankfully felt much better by the afternoon."

He added that he had even called back to ask if the taping could be rescheduled. "I called and asked, 'Would it be possible to do the recording again?' But they said the schedule had already been sorted out, so it wasn't possible," he said.

Fellow cast member Song Eun-i drew laughs with a quip about the public reaction. "The response was like the nation's mother had collapsed," she joked.

Yoo acknowledged that the reaction was understandable given how unprecedented the situation was. "Since it was the first time in over 30 years, I think people genuinely felt like something terrible had happened," he said. "I'm sorry for unintentionally causing concern."

Yoo had canceled the taping of "Tteummanyamyeon," on Sept. 22 due to a severe cold and high fever. It was the first time since his 1991 debut that he had called off a recording on the day of filming for health reasons, drawing significant public attention.