The producers of SBS “Running Man” issued an official statement with regards to the controversial departure of Kim Jong Kook and Song Ji Hyo.

On the afternoon of December 15th, the staff of “Running Man” issued a statement regarding their position in the current controversy.

Initial reports of the two leaving the show Runningman was issued on the 13th, which was soon followed by reports that Kim Jong Kook and Song Ji Hyo had been forced out of show. Song Ji Hyo especially found out about her own departure through news reports.

A close friend of Kim Jong Kook even called the producers “Shady” and claimed they had no “loyalty”

The full statement by the producers of the show has been translated below.

“The producers of ‘Runningman’ would like to state our official stance on the current controversy surrounding the change of members on the show. The producers of the show have been working on a formatting change with the launch of season 2 during January of 2017. During this process, there were a lot of shortcomings in the way of communication. The unintended news reports ended up hurting the feelings of Kim Jong Kook and Song Ji Hyo who have been with us for 7 years and is like family. We would like to sincerely apologize for this to the two individuals. We apologize to the viewers who have loved Runningman for 7 long years as well. Once Again, we would like to apologize to Kim Jong Kook and Song Ji Hyo for not being more considerate of them, and also apologize to the members for the confusion this has caused.”

Source: Everyday Finance