Yang Sang-guk has recently been dubbed the “Prince of Gimhae.” He gained support by humorously portraying the stubbornness and high-handedness typical of men from the Gyeongsang-do region. This coincided with a trend favoring Gyeongsang-do dialects. The release of “Jjang-gu,” a sequel to the “unofficial 10-million-viewer movie” “Wind” set in Busan, further fueled the Busan dialect craze, with actor Jung Woo contributing to the trend. Yang Sang-guk also appeared on variety shows with fellow natives like actor Hyun Bong-sik.
On top of that, he gained the support of South Korea’s most reliable mentor, “Nation’s MC” Yoo Jae-suk. Yang Sang-guk appeared in several programs hosted by him, including MBC’s “Hangout with Yoo,” the YouTube channel “Pinggyego,” and tvN’s “You Quiz on the Block.” Yoo Jae-suk is famous for creating opportunities for his juniors and utilizing their strengths, as seen with Haha (who appeared in “Infinite Challenge,” “Running Man,” and “Hangout with Yoo”) and Jo Se-ho (“You Quiz on the Block”).
The controversy began when Yang Sang-guk showed an inappropriate attitude toward Yoo Jae-suk. On “Pinggyego,” while discussing fellow entertainer Nam Chang-hee’s newlywed life, Yang Sang-guk criticized him, saying, “Seoul men are good at these things. In our case (Gyeongsang-do men), we don’t even drop them off. I think it’s better not to do it unless you’re going to do it for the rest of your life.”
At that moment, Yoo Jae-suk’s intuition kicked in, sensing the conversation was reaching a “dangerous level.” When Yoo Jae-suk tried to smooth things over, Yang Sang-guk responded, “I usually listen to senior Yoo Jae-suk, but I don’t think that’s right,” and added, “Mr. Yoo Jae-suk, if you say it one more time, I’ll scold you.” The reaction was overwhelmingly negative, with many feeling that calling a senior like Yoo Jae-suk “Mr. Yoo Jae-suk” (Yoo Jae-suk-ssi) and the level of his expression “crossed the line.”
This attitude went even further on the tvN variety show “Amazing Saturday” aired on the 9th. The episode was a “Romance is Great” special, featuring Yang Sang-guk along with Kim Hae-jun and Na Bo-ram, the stars of the popular “Romantic Couple” content from the YouTube channel “Kim Hae-jun.” They were given the alter-ego characters of Uncle Gipil, Gyuri, and Sang-pil.
While Kim Hae-jun naturally tried to maintain the world-building of the characters, Yang Sang-guk disrupted it, saying, “I’m not Sang-pil. I don’t watch ‘Romantic Couple’,” leaving Kim Hae-jun flustered. Even after that, Yang Sang-guk frequently made stubborn claims and insisted on things outside the established rules.
Following this, a video from entertainer Haha’s YouTube channel from last April suddenly gained attention. In the video, Haha told a shop owner that Yang Sang-guk would pay, saying, “Sang-guk is doing well these days.” However, the owner replied, “There’s a reason why Haha is popular. He knows how to restrain himself after overacting,” adding, “Sang-guk thinks he’s doing great and just keeps going. That’s why he hasn’t made it.” While it was meant as a joke at the time, it is now being called a “prophetic video” that accurately pointed out the problems with Yang Sang-guk’s broadcasting attitude.
Yang Sang-guk can be seen as following the lineage of “shouting comedy.” Starting with Lee Kyung-kyu and followed by Park Myung-soo, this style gained popularity and is still maintained. Why does their shouting comedy work? Because they know when to “hit and run.” Even after embarrassing someone, they immediately apologize if their own mistake is revealed, smoothing over the situation. They balance the act by appropriately showing themselves “getting hit” as well.
Furthermore, colleagues who are shouted at by Lee Kyung-kyu and Park Myung-soo do not get flustered or offended, meaning they accept it as a “variety show concept.” In Yang Sang-guk’s case, however, his colleagues could not hide their bewilderment. This is the typical reaction when someone “crosses the line.”
Ultimately, Yang Sang-guk’s behavior is not “shouting comedy” but “rudeness.” In an interview with a media outlet, he stated, “I’m really not that kind of person in real life, but I think I overdid my remarks without realizing it, and I’m sorry for making viewers uncomfortable.” However, it’s not easy to undo the damage. To recover the popularity he briefly enjoyed, he may need more time and greater effort than he has spent so far.
