Yoo Jae-suk Faces Embezzlement Allegations on 'Hangout with Yoo'

Yoo Jae-suk's embezzlement allegations have been confirmed on the latest episode of MBC's variety show 'Hangout with Yoo.'

On the episode aired on the 17th, Yoo Jae-suk, along with Haha, Joo Woo-jae, Heo Kyung-hwan, and Jung Joon-ha, participated in the winter gathering of their club 'Comma, Club.'

During the gathering, Yoo Jae-suk expressed his dissatisfaction to the existing members, saying, "I was really displeased during last fall's gathering. You all paid a 50,000 won fee and then talked behind each other's backs. Let's respect each other and speak upfront."

Yoo Jae-suk, who collected a total of 250,000 won from the members, confidently stated, "It's not easy to organize a trip with just 50,000 won. The places we visit are famous. Those who have traveled with me know the value for money is unbeatable." However, Joo Woo-jae criticized, "You only go to cheap places to save money," to which Yoo Jae-suk retorted, "You complain a lot for someone who paid just 50,000 won."

Passing by Sookmyung Women's University, Yoo Jae-suk confessed, "I once had a meeting with students from here." Haha commented, "Those students must have been disappointed. They probably had high expectations because you were from Seoul Institute of the Arts," expressing sympathy. Yoo Jae-suk, feeling emotional, replied, "They might not have liked us, but we felt the same," raising his voice, while Jung Joon-ha joked, "Is that why you only hang out with guys now?" causing laughter.

During a '20,000 won limit' shopping session, Joo Woo-jae asked, "If I don't buy anything, will you return the 20,000 won?" Yoo Jae-suk, frustrated, responded, "I'll give you 20,000 won, just leave." Eventually, Joo Woo-jae purchased an item for 11,000 won but did not receive the remaining 9,000 won, leading to further dissatisfaction.

Joo Woo-jae suggested, "Let's do an interim settlement," to which Yoo Jae-suk replied, "It's hard to travel as a group if you keep complaining."

A problem arose during the settlement of funds. Allegations of embezzlement surfaced as Yoo Jae-suk was found to have mixed public funds with his personal money in one wallet.

Joo Woo-jae stated, "There should be 80,500 won left," and Yoo Jae-suk offered, "I'll add my own money to make it 83,000 won. I think my money went out." However, the production team pointed out, "There should be 87,500 won left," escalating the issue.

It was revealed that Yoo Jae-suk had spent an additional 7,000 won during shopping. Upon hearing about the '7,000 won embezzlement,' Joo Woo-jae remarked, "I thought I was living wrongly. He embezzled and then harshly criticized me. Turns out, he was the thief."

Haha also commented, "I feel really bad. I trusted him, but will I trust him again next time? If he was strict with us, he should have been with himself too. Pretending to be virtuous while skimming off the top, will this group continue?" leading to Yoo Jae-suk's outburst.

Yoo Jae-suk, who faced the penalty of being stripped of his treasurer position, lamented, "I've lived a clean life until now. Do I deserve this treatment over 7,000 won? I planned the itinerary, drove, and parked. Everyone acted like they contributed 5 billion won."

Eun Jung Kim, TenAsia Reporter eun@tenasia.co.kr