"I Wish He'd Appear on TV"…Surprising Update on Jo Hyeong-gi After Broadcast Suspension

Effectively Expelled from the Entertainment Industry Since 2017
Openly Expresses Dissatisfaction with the Broadcasting Industry

The current status of broadcaster Jo Hyung-gi, who halted his broadcasting activities due to a fatal drunk driving incident, has been revealed. In December of last year, a video titled "Talent Yeonwoohoe Artists' Year-End Night, Jo Hyung-gi" was posted on the YouTube channel 'Smile Performance Group.' The video showed Jo Hyung-gi serving as the MC of the event. He greeted the audience with a joke, saying, "Last year, I came here as 'Kkakdugi,' and today is my second time as 'Chonggak Kimchi.' Coming here, it seems the atmosphere is better this year than last year."

In December of last year, the YouTube channel 'Smile Performance Group' uploaded a video titled 'Talent Yeonwoohoe Artists' Year-End Night, Jo Hyung-ki.' The video featured Jo Hyung-ki serving as the MC for the event. YouTube channel 'Smile Performance Group'

Jo Hyung-gi also openly expressed dissatisfaction with the broadcasting industry. He said, "Actually, opportunities to appear on TV are decreasing. Seeing those people who think this is their calling and work hard without losing heart is very admirable and touching." He added, "There is a children's song that goes, 'I really wish I could appear on television, really wish I could,' but now it seems that song has become our song, not just a children's song. But now, they only make kids' programs," mixing in some profanity to criticize.

He continued, "In the past, if someone was a chief in a drama, they would be around 40 years old; if a prosecutor, around 50. But now, people in their twenties play prosecutors and chiefs. Even father roles are getting younger. Except for King Yeongjo and King Jeongjo, all the kings are young. So usually, the prime minister is someone around 50 years old. Then how could Jo Hyung-gi be a second or third rank official under them? Naturally, I get 'picked on,'" he criticized. He added, "I sincerely hope that next year, the song 'I really wish I could appear on television' will come true."

Previously, Jo Hyung-gi was effectively expelled from the entertainment industry after appearing on MBN variety show 'Golden Egg' in 2017. This was due to the revelation that he caused the death of a woman in her 30s by drunk driving in 1991. Jo Hyung-gi was sentenced to three years in prison in the first trial and five years in the second trial. The Supreme Court accepted Jo Hyung-gi's claim that the lower court misunderstood the law, overturned the ruling, and remanded the case. The retrial court sentenced him to two years in prison with a three-year probation.

Accordingly, Jo Hyung-gi was paroled in 1993 and returned to broadcasting within a month after release with MBC dramas such as 'Mother's Sea' and 'One Apple, Two Stars.' As the internet became widespread in the 2000s and the incident became known, viewers continuously protested against programs featuring Jo Hyung-gi. He disappeared from the broadcasting scene after the 2017 MBN variety show 'Golden Egg.' He later launched a YouTube channel in 2020 but ceased activities after facing public backlash.