Comedian Jung Jun-ha opened up about the real reason behind his past retirement rumors — and why he once intentionally avoided longtime friend Yoo Jae-suk.
On the 5th, Jung appeared on YouTube channel Jodongari, where he chatted with Kim Yong-man, Ji Seok-jin, and Kim Soo-yong about a range of topics. He revisited the behind-the-scenes story of his drawing performance on MBC’s variety show Hangout with Yoo. Jung, who went viral for sketching Yoo Jae-suk’s face upside down, said, “I practiced three hours a day,” adding, “Because I used charcoal, I’d come home coughing up black phlegm,” recalling the grind it took.
He revealed that Yoo Jae-suk also got choked up during the moment. “As I drew, we talked about our 30-year friendship, and all those years flashed before me. I got emotional,” Jung said. He then candidly shared how he felt after Infinite Challenge ended.
“There was a time I deliberately avoided Jae-suk when he came to my neighborhood to film ‘You Quiz on the Block,’” Jung confessed. “It wasn’t because things were awkward — I just wanted to disappear from the spotlight.” He added, “I was running a store then, and I worried I might look pathetic.”
In that climate, rumors of retirement spread naturally. “After I turned down a few broadcast offers, word suddenly went around the industry that I’d retired,” he recalled. “Maybe because of that, the casting calls slowed down.” The cast sympathized, noting, “If you decline a few times, those stories spread fast,” while Kim Soo-yong joked, “Some people even think I’m still on a hiatus,” drawing laughs.
Meanwhile, Jung has been making a strong comeback, appearing as a guest on Hangout with Yoo and co-starring with Park Myung-soo on the web variety show HaWaSu.