'Running Man' star was overwhelmed with emotion during co-star Lee Kwang Soo's acceptance speech at the 2016 SBS Entertainment Awards on Dec. 25, Sunday.
After winning the "Top Excellence Award" in the variety show category, Lee gave a speech on how he felt about each and every cast member and the show's producers. During his acceptance speech, he shared some kind words about Song and referred to her as his "real older sister." Unable to hold back her feelings, the actress broke down in tears at her table, according to Koreaboo.
Lee also expressed his gratitude all of the remaining cast members in his speech and also gave each and every one of them a tight hug to express his love and appreciation for them. After the award show, SBS released a statement on Instagram saying that the variety show only won one award because the cast members wanted to keep things quiet and did not wish to receive any awards. Despite the single victory, Lee's award marked an important win for "Running Man" after what has otherwise been a rough week for the SBS variety show following the controversy that resulted in the show's cancellation after seven years.
"Running Man" has been plagued by controversy ever since it announced that long-time cast members Song and Kim Jong Kook will be leaving the show. It was later confirmed that both stars were dropped from the show without notice and pair found out about their sacking from media reports.
The production's unfair treatment of Song and Kim led to backlash from fans and even caused Kang Ho Dong to reverse his decision to join the second season of "Running Man." The controversy called for an emergency meeting between staff and cast members, after which the decision was made to end the show in February 2017, All Kpop reported.
Even though Kim and Song later confirmed that they would return to the show and continue as cast members until its finale, it was revealed that they would be donating the salary received from the remaining episodes to a charity of their choice.
Watch Lee's acceptance speech in the video below:
