Song Ji-hyo and Kim Jong-kook, the popular entertainer duo who greet fans on South Korea's most beloved variety show Running Man, had an adorable interaction at the 2022 SBS Entertainment Awards red carpet on December 17.
The Running Man cast who attended the event included Yoo Jae-suk, Jeon So-min, Ji Seok-jin, and the Jihyo-Jongkook duo. HaHa and Sechan could not attend as they recently tested positive for COVID.
During a segment on the red carpet, members were asked to compliment people standing on their right. Here, Kim Jong-kook started his remark with sarcasm and ended with a compliment.
"She surprised me": Song Ji-hyo’s outfit becomes a hot topic among internet users as Kim Jong-kook compliments her
The 2022 SBS Entertainment Awards, one of the most prominent ceremonies recognizing excellence in South Korea’s reality, variety, and comedy shows, took place on December 17 at the SBS Prism Tower in Seoul. Among the many entertainers who attended the awards, the Running Man cast was one of the most-anticipated.
Running Man began 12 years ago in 2010, and its original cast of Yoo Jae-suk, Ji Seok-jin, Kim Jong-kook, Song Ji-hyo, along with Jeon So-min (who joined in 2018) attended the SBS awards. Song Ji-hyo took the spotlight at the event with her long sparkling full-sleeved black dress. Moreover, it didn’t take the cast members even five seconds to declare her the best dressed member.
Ji Seok-jin shared that the actress’ outfit “was hard to follow” and that she looked “like a main Marvel character.” Song Ji-hyo then flexed her muscles at the Marvel comment, making the cast and the press laugh out loud.
When asked to pass on messages to a member standing beside them, Kim Jong-kook also showered her with compliments. He first called her “a giant/statue” due to her heels making her the same height as him. As their moment of bickering continued, he explained himself and even added a sweet compliment towards the end:
“She surprised me. We rarely see this eye-to-eye. Height-wise, that is. Anyway, she’s the best dresser tonight. She’s very pretty.” (Translation via Koreaboo)
Jihyo-Jongkook duo gives fans multiple sweet moments to cherish
Although Yoo Jae-suk and Kim Jong-kook won the Best Couple Award for their camaraderie in Running Man, fans love to ship the latter with Song Ji-hyo. Viewers have watched the duo’s antics for over a decade in Running Man and its many spin-offs.
The 2022 SBS Entertainment Awards also gave viewers a few more sweet moments and interactions between them. Both Song Ji-hyo and Kim Jong-kook took to the stage as presenters for an award. The latter made a remarkable entry with a snow spray but seemed to struggle on his own. The actress, on the other hand, enjoyed it by even spinning around with a wide smile.
Another clip that viewers loved was Kim Jong-kook tilting his head towards Song Ji-hyo as they read off their scripts while presenting.
In other news, Running Man announced a change in their time slot. Starting January 1, 2023, the show will air at 6.20 pm KST.
As per SBS Entertainment News, the show remained the most-watched show in the now-former 5 pm time slot in the viewers’ demographic ages 20 to 49. These numbers corroborated the show’s label as South Korea’s most beloved variety show.