'Running Man': Who will replace Lee Kwang-soo after he leaves the show?

With the departure of long-standing cast member Lee Kwang-soo, things are going to change for the cast members and viewers of SBS’s ‘Running Man’.

What will happen to the show from now on? Will there be a replacement for Lee Kwang-soo?

(Image: SBS)

‘Running Man’ is a South Korean variety TV show by SBS. The show mainly revolves around its participants having to complete missions by participating in games around famous landmarks in Korea.

(Image: SBS)

Lee Kwang-soo is a South Korean model, actor and TV host, and he has been in SBS’s ‘Running Man’ for about eleven years. He is leaving ‘Running Man’ due to health complications sustained from a car accident in February 2020.

According to Koreaboo, ‘Running Man’ has consistently replaced members who have left the series previously, with having replaced Song Joong-ki and Lizzy with Sang Ye-chan and Jeon So-min. Hence, many have been speculating about who will be next in line to replace Lee Kwang-soo.

(Image: SBS)

From Koreaboo, netizens have outed out actor Kim Ji-suk and actress Kang Han-na as potential replacements for Lee Kwang-soo in an online forum dedicated to discussions on the variety show.

(Image: TvN)

Kim Ji-suk is a South Korean actor who is best known for his work in ‘Another Oh Hae-young’, ‘The Rebel’, ‘Children of the 20th Century’, and ‘Lady Daddy’.

(Image: KBS)

Despite having not been a frequent featured guest on ‘Running Man’, netizens believe that he might be next in line to replace Lee Kwang-soo, due to his proven experience and popularity on other Korean variety TV shows such as ‘Interview Game’ and ‘Hot Brain: Problematic Men’, according to Koreaboo.

(Image: SBS)

Next up in the list of celebrities who might be a good replacement for Lee Kwang-soo in ‘Running Man’ is actress Kang Han-na. Kang Han-na is best known for her work in ‘Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo’, ‘Empire of Lust’, ‘Rain or Shine’, and ‘Start-Up’.

(Image: TvN)

From Koreaboo, netizens are thinking that Kang Han-na would be a great replacement for Lee Kwang-soo due to the actress having appeared on ‘Running Man’ prior, and gathering huge praise for her charisma and comedic talent on the show.

Continuing on from the news from Koreaboo, more rumors and news followed on the post in the forum, stating that there have been talks within SBS to create a ‘Running Man’ special which exclusively only features Kang Han-na.

(Image: TvN)

However, the rumors remain rumors and have not been confirmed by SBS and ‘Running Man’ producers -- making it still up in the air on the decision on whether there is to be a new cast member to replace Lee Kwang-soo’s longstanding position in ‘Running Man’.

(Image: TvN, SBS)

Other than previously being quick to replace old cast members, ‘Running Man’ is also known to have installed past guest members as permanent ‘Running Man’ cast members. Current cast members who have gone from guest to permanent fixtures in the show are Song Ji-Hyo, and Jun So-Min.

(Image: SBS)

Hence, netizens have also speculated and are keeping an eye out for other celebrities who could potentially be Lee Kwang-soo’s replacement. Other likely members include guest members who have consistently appeared on ‘Running Man’s’ Family Package Project, where the same four guest members have been consistently featured for four weeks straight on TV.

(Image: SBS)

This includes celebrities Hong Jin-Young, Lee Sang-Yeob, and Lee Da-Hee. Other potential replacements include celebrities who have appeared in ‘Running Man’ the most, such as Jo Se-Ho, Heo Kyung-Hwan and South Korean national footballer Park Ji-Sung.

(Image: Music K, SBS, TvN)

Other than these celebrities, K-pop idols Nichkhun from boy band 2PM, along with Yoon Bo-mi and Son Na-eun from girl group Apink are hot favourites that fans hope to see becoming permanent members of ‘Running Man’! However, given their overly tight schedules as K-pop idols, this is unlikely to happen.

(Image: JYP Entertainment, Cube Entertainment)

However Koreaboo reported that in an interview with Hankook Ilbo, “Running Man’ producer Choi Bo-Pil refuted claims of a Lee Kwang-soo replacement by clarifying that there are no plans at present to add new members to the team, Koreaboo reports.

(Image: SBS)

In Koreaboo’s translation of Choi Bo-Pil’s interview with Hankook Ilbo, Choi Bo-Pil is quoted as saying: “We will be monitoring the transition and figuring it out on our own. We may decide later on that we want to add new members, but we are not actively working towards that right now.”

Given that Lee Kwang-soo’s last episode has aired, producers of ‘Running Man’ and Lee Kwang-soo’s agency, Starship Entertainment, took to social media to pay a touching tribute to ‘Running Man’s’ ‘Giraffe’ and ‘Betrayer’ for his eleven-year long work on the show.

Although 'Running Man' will never be the same without him, we wish Lee Kwang-soo all the best in his future endeavours!

(Image: SBS)