Lee Soo-geun (; born February 10, 1975) is a South Korean
comedian
A comedian (feminine comedienne) or comic is a person who seeks to entertainment, entertain an audience by making them laughter, laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting foolishly (as in slapstick), or employing prop c ...
who has worked on a number of
comedy
Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium.
Origins
Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...
shows on South Korean
television
Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...
. He began his career as a comedian on
KBS ''
Gag Concert''.
Career
Before entering the entertainment industry, Lee worked as a recreational instructor, and entered a singing contest on
MBC's ''River Music Festival'' (). He was also an
aerobics instructor. In October 2006, he began his own online internet shopping mall, selling clothes. In May 2008, he became an
ambassador
An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...
for the Pork Management Committee ()
Lee has appeared on many
reality
Reality is the sum or aggregate of everything in existence; everything that is not imagination, imaginary. Different Culture, cultures and Academic discipline, academic disciplines conceptualize it in various ways.
Philosophical questions abo ...
-
variety shows. He made a breakthrough in his career after appearing on
KBS' ''
Happy Sunday
''Happy Sunday'' () is a Korean reality-variety show shown on the KBS2 network, which competes directly against MBC's '' Sunday Night'' and SBS's '' Good Sunday'' line-up. Although it has been broadcast since 2003, its line-up of shows has freq ...
'': ''
1 Night 2 Days''. He was seen as the most hardworking member of the cast and was in charge of driving in the show, as he had a commercial
coach license. After appearing on the show, he earned more recognition and was offered
MC roles on other shows, such as season 2 of ''Sang Sang Plus'', his first TV appearance in the role of an MC. His marriage was broadcast on national television on ''1 Night 2 Days''.
Up until 2012, he was signed under ''Castle J Entertainment'', and on September 19, it was announced that he had signed exclusive contracts with SM C&C, a subsidiary of
SM Entertainment, along with
Kim Byung-man, immediately after fellow national MC
Kang Ho-dong and
Shin Dong-yup joined.
In December 2015, he reunited with Kang Ho-dong as a cast member for
JTBC's new variety show, ''
Knowing Bros''.
In 2017, Lee Soo-geun appeared in more than ten programs over the course of a year and showed his unique charm in various programs.
In 2024, he left SM C&C and joined BPM Entertainment.
Personal life
Lee married Park Ji-yeon in 2008. They have 2 sons from their marriage, Lee Tae-joon and Lee Tae-seo. Lee's mother is a
shaman.
He is a
Taekwondo
Taekwondo (; ; ) is a Korean martial art and combat sport involving primarily kicking techniques and punching. "Taekwondo" can be translated as ''tae'' ("strike with foot"), ''kwon'' ("strike with hand"), and ''do'' ("the art or way"). In ad ...
black belt (he is currently a
5th dan black belt in Taekwondo and has demonstrated his skills on various
variety shows such as ''Guesthouse Daughters'' and ''
Knowing Bros'').
Controversies
In 2013, Lee was under the investigation for suspicion of online illegal gambling along with
Tony An,
Tak Jae-hoon,
Andy Lee &
Boom. Lee was involved in an illegal sports gambling scandal, in which he placed bets on the results of top division football teams in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
by using an illegal online gambling website and cell phone text messages. Lee has claimed to have bet billions of Korean won on online sports betting websites. As a result of researching his gambling activities, Lee Soo-geun was found to have gambled using from December 2008 to June 2011.
In the first public trial on the morning of December 6, 2013, Judge Shin Myung-hee of the Seoul Central Prosecutor's Office charged Lee Soo Geun with eight months in prison and two years of probation. Lee Soo Geun, who appeared in the first public trial with his lawyer, repeatedly acknowledged his crime and begged for mercy. After two years of self-restraint time at home, he returned with billiards competition show "Juk-bang Legend". Before filming the first episode of the show, Lee said "I will restart as if it is my first time."
Discography
* 2020: "SWAG" (ft. Chin Chilla and Jiselle) - ''
Show Me The Play 2 Final''
* 2019: "White Winter" (with.
Kim Hee-chul) - ''
STATION X 4 LOVEs for Winter Part.3''
* 2010: "Huk" (ft. Eun Jiwon)
* 2009: "Happy Song" (ft. Ez-Life)
* 2009: "Let's Keep Going Until the End" (ft. Eun Jiwon)
Filmography
Awards
Listicles
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Soo-geun
1975 births
Living people
People from Yangpyeong County
Gag Concert
South Korean male comedians
South Korean male film actors
South Korean male taekwondo practitioners
South Korean television personalities
Best Variety Performer Male Paeksang Arts Award (television) winners