TV Star Quits Show After 6-Year Run, Citing Need to 'Recharge'

Actress Jeon So-min's agency announced Monday that she is leaving the popular South Korean TV variety show "Running Man" after six years. She began appearing on the program in 2010. The 37-year-old actress' departure was confirmed by her agency, King Kong By Starship, on Monday, reported The Korea Times. She is scheduled to record her final episode as a main cast member next Monday.

Even though she has been a fixture on the show for the past six years, the actress and the production team carefully discussed the matter before agreeing on the decision. A representative of her agency stated that the actress's decision resulted from long conversations with the Running Man production team, and he added that the actress "needs some time to recharge in order to impress even further through future activities, including her acting." "We have concluded now is the time for her to take some time to refresh herself," the agency said.

A statement released by the Running Man producers to South Korean media outlet XportsNews via The Straits Times confirmed Jeon's decision to leave and stated that though they had tried to find a solution to allow her to stay, "We had talked over ways to keep her for a long time, but decided to respect her decision. " The program's network SBS said they had "decided on a sad farewell."

They added: "We would like to express our gratitude to Jeon So-min, who made Running Man shine brighter during her time on the show. The Running Man cast and production team will continue to support her. She will forever be a member of Running Man."

As a former model, Jeon made her debut in a 2004 MBC TV series, and in 2013, she played her first leading role in "Princess Aurora," for which she later received MBC's Best New Actress Award that same year. In April 2017, Jeon joined the popular variety show and was subsequently named the best rookie in a variety show at the SBS Entertainment Awards that same year. She also won the Top Excellence Award, Variety, in 2018 and the Golden Content Award in 2020 as part of the cast. 

While she was a member of Running Man, she appeared in guest roles in a number of K-dramas, including My Secret Romance (2017), So I Married An Anti Fan (2021), and Delivery Man (2023). It is expected that the show will continue with present cast members Yoo Jae-seok, Ha Ha, Ji Seok-jin, Kim Jong-kook, Song Ji-hyo, and Yang Se-chan. The production team is working on finding a replacement for Jeon.