Announcer Lee Seong-bae is leaving MBC, where he has worked for 17 years, to join the presidential primary camp of former Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo as a spokesperson.
On the 14th, Lee Seong-bae revealed in a phone call with Maeil Business Newspaper's Star Today, "I will join the presidential primary camp of former Mayor Hong Joon-pyo."
Regarding his decision to leave the announcer position and enter politics, he stated, "In a situation where leadership is missing, we need to properly elect our leader," adding, "Until now, I have done my best as an announcer out of professional duty, but I started with the desire to help the person who can do the best as a leader." He continued, "I was waiting for a time when I could play a clearer and more defined role. After the martial law was declared last December, while covering related news and observing the situation, I felt that an opportunity had come to showcase what I had studied and prepared from the perspective that we need a good leader."
Lee Seong-bae described former Mayor Hong as "a candidate with a wealth of experience and long-standing policy expertise. He is the most necessary figure who can express the important leadership needed in our society, from governor to mayor to member of parliament." He added, "Now, regardless of conservative or progressive views, we need a stable and experienced leader to redesign the country."
On the same morning, Lee announced his resignation via SNS, stating, "Today, I say my final goodbye to MBC." He continued, "MBC was not just a workplace for me. It was the foundation of my life that allowed me to live as a person who speaks, thinks, and conveys the times. I will not forget that I am who I am today thanks to countless moments of broadcasting, days filled with joy and regret, and the colleagues and viewers with whom I laughed and cried in tension."
He added, "However, now I have made the decision to step back from that familiar and warm place and jump into a time of chaos. Knowing that it is a path I cannot return from, I throw my life into a new path. I hope that at the end of it, there will be a beginning of change for someone. And I hope that this path will be filled with the 'public language' and 'sincere attitude' I learned at MBC."
Lee Seong-bae joined MBC in 2008 and hosted radio shows such as 'Before Sunrise with Lee Seong-bae', 'Morning Opening with Lee Seong-bae', and news programs like 'MBC 2 PM News Special', '12 MBC News', and 'MBC Noon News'. He also appeared in entertainment programs such as 'Section TV Entertainment Communication', 'Complaint Zero', 'King of Masked Singer', and served as a caster for the '2024 Paris Olympics'.
[Kim So-yeon, Star Today reporter]
