BIGBANG has not appeared on the SBS variety show 'Running Man' for approximately 10 years, and the reason behind their absence has finally come to light. It's reportedly linked to a particularly "hardcore" past filming experience. Host Yu Jae-seok (유재석) recently revisited the details of that recording, admitting, "We went a bit too far back then."
The regular cast of 'Running Man' — Yu Jae-seok, Ji Seok-jin (지석진), Kim Jong-kook (김종국), Haha (하하), Song Ji-hyo (송지효), Yang Se-chan (양세찬), and Ji Ye-eun (지예은) — appeared on the June 6 broadcast. The members deviated from their usual style, each dressed elaborately. Ji Ye-eun, wearing fishnet stockings, was jokingly compared to singer Ayumi, while Yang Se-chan was said to resemble singer Young Tak. Upon her entrance, Song Ji-hyo was teased by the cast for looking like a "hair salon director."
Haha appeared wearing a BIGBANG official merchandise T-shirt. Yu Jae-seok, seeing this, playfully asked, "Who's the thief?" Haha immediately revealed, "I went to a BIGBANG concert yesterday." Haha, who had recently held a fan concert in Busan, emotionally shared his feelings from the event: "Everyone who had been hiding came. I secretly watched them, and tears just fell." He couldn't hide his emotion and gratitude for the fans' support.
Yu Jae-seok then inquired about ticket sales for Haha's Seoul concert, to which Haha happily replied, "Many tickets sold in Seoul too." Yu Jae-seok proudly chuckled, "It seems the effect of appearing on 'Pinggyego' worked."
Yu Jae-seok had previously collaborated with BIGBANG on the web show 'Pinggyego' to promote Haha's fan concert. Haha, holding Yu Jae-seok's hand, laughed and said, "Yesterday's BIGBANG concert was truly wild. Thank you so much." Yu Jae-seok proudly stated, "Our relationship with BIGBANG is very deep."
The conversation then shifted to BIGBANG. Haha suddenly addressed the camera, calling out, "BIGBANG, please come on the show once!" Ji Seok-jin also curiously asked, "But why doesn't BIGBANG come on?"
In response to the question, Yu Jae-seok immediately recalled G-Dragon's (권지용) past experience filming 'Running Man,' admitting, "G-Dragon really suffered a lot in the mudflats back then. We went a bit too far." He reminisced about the intense scene where G-Dragon, without concern for his image, rolled around in the mud during a mission.
Haha couldn't help but add, "He seems to have been left with some unpleasant memories." He also mentioned a classic moment from G-Dragon's filming: "There's a famous meme where mud comes out of his mouth when he laughs."
In fact, BIGBANG appeared as a full group on 'Running Man' in 2015. At that time, all members, including G-Dragon, engaged in a fierce mudflat showdown. They not only rolled in the mud but were completely covered in it, making the filming process extremely challenging and leaving behind many memorable, iconic scenes.
Unexpectedly, after this "mudflat battle," BIGBANG has not returned to 'Running Man' for approximately 10 years. Despite recalling this tough memory, Haha couldn't help but call out to BIGBANG again: "I really want to see BIGBANG, please come on the show!"
The production team concluded the segment with a subtitle: "This time, we'll pave a flower path and wait for you," extending a warm invitation to BIGBANG. This has heightened fan anticipation for the popular group's potential return to 'Running Man' as a full unit in the future.
