During a live broadcast, Busters’s Chaeyeon appeared to be hit by a fellow cast member as well as verbally harassed by another.

As a result, EBS removed the comedians from “Tok! Tok! Boni Hani.”

On December 11, Busters’s agency released the following statement:

Hello, this is Marbling. This is in regards to the problematic live video of “Tok! Tok! Boni Hani.” After checking with Chaeyeon, she confirmed, “It was a joke. There was a misunderstanding because the whole situation wasn’t shown. None of the cast hit me.” She was very taken aback about the situation. As stated in the statement released by “Tok! Tok! Boni Hani,” Chaeyeon appeared on the program for a long time, and the incident occurred because she was close to the cast. The joke crossed the line. However, the agency recognizes the severity of the actions (threatening behavior, etc.) and received a promise from the program that this will never happen again. We would like to apologize to fans. The agency will always pay close attention and work harder to protect our artists.

On the same day, a media outlet reported that comedian Choi Young Soo expressed his innocence through an interview. He said, “I didn’t hit Chaeyeon. She is like a niece and younger sister to me. Why would I assault her? It doesn’t make sense. It’s driving me nuts.”

He added, “I’ve been on ‘Tok! Tok! Boni Hani’ for 13 years. I’ve been on ‘Tok! Tok! Boni Hani’ longer than I’ve been on the comedy program ‘People Looking for a Laugh.’ I’ve worked with them for so long and are still close with the past cast members. I don’t have an agency. I was just an EBS comedian. But EBS ended our relationship.”

Choi Young Soo emphasized, “If you watch it without suspicion, it was really just a skit.” He claimed that he had nothing to explain because he didn’t hit her. He said, “I’m so frustrated. The shot was covered by Joo Chul hyung at an angle that made it look weird. I just grabbed her shoulder and pushed her. It sounded like I hit her, but that was probably another sound that was captured during the broadcast. It was a skit where Chaeyeon held on to me, I pushed her away, and she stared at me. Viewers, who watch the show and are used to the skits, won’t be suspicious of it. I don’t know why I have to leave the show because of the misunderstandings and accusations made by people who don’t even watch the show.”

He continued, “People are really scary. I don’t know if I can work in the industry because I’m scared. Maybe EBS is being targeted because of Pengsoo’s growing popularity. I wonder why the world is doing this to someone who has been quietly working on ‘Tok! Tok! Boni Hani.’ I would have accepted it if I actually did commit a crime, like drunk driving or gambling, but I didn’t. I was honestly more worried for Chaeyeon. I’m sure Chaeyeon was more hurt by this. As for me, I can just quit and go back to my hometown. Today Chaeyeon cried so much and told me, ‘I’m so sorry you have to leave because of me.’ I just patted her on the back and accepted my fate.”

Choi Young Soo expressed his disappointment and said, “How could this get so serious? I can’t believe it. This isn’t fair. It was decided that I be removed from the show because of the ongoing comments, petition, and Korea Communications Commission’s involvement. I was originally suppose to film today. I received the notice while I was preparing for the show today. They just said goodbye. Everyone involved with ‘Tok! Tok! Boni Hani’ are crying. They have nothing to say. I have nothing to say. They should have at least given me a chance to explain myself. They should have given me the opportunity to apologize for my actions that caused misunderstandings through the show or an official live broadcast.”

After expressing his innocence and regret, Choi Young Soo apologized to viewers. He stated, “I am someone who has been on the air for 17 years. This happened because of me, so it is my fault. It hurts to think that I caused trouble for ‘Tok! Tok! Boni Hani’ because of my actions. I would like to at least apologize like this. I don’t drink alcohol and only went back and forth from EBS to home. I am not a bad person. I did not hit Chaeyeon. Please don’t misunderstand.”

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Top Left Photo Credit: Xportsnews