So aside from writing sports, I love watching Korean variety shows.
So this stings a lot.
Jeon So Min has been a mainstay of Running Man for six years now and she decided to officially leave the show by the end of October.
While she is hardly the strongest, most intelligent, or most strategic of runners, she is hella funny. She also created this new Korean variety persona of being a beautiful but annoying, boy-crazy member. Back in the day, mixed ensembles always had the male member going girl-crazy on the guest but So Min changed this by becoming the female version of Lee Kwang Soo. Her role evolved when Kwang Soo's real-life relationship went public and in some ways coincided with his eventual departure from the show.
In some ways, her persona drew flak from netizens because her showboating could go overboard at times, but you can also feel her absence especially when she underwent foot surgery a couple of years back. Her character got somewhat "tame" when she ceded her boy-crazy role to Lee Mi Joo when The Sixth Sense was still active. While So Min is annoyingly cute as to Mi Joo's borderline psychotic character (hehe), their sister tandem made the program a hit, especially to international audiences.
At 37, being part of Running Man has its own pros and cons. The biggest would be getting tied with the program. Song Ji Hyo's situation works because I don't think she just wants to be there. Yes, her character can be either hit or miss at times, as they have tried all sorts of things following the end of The Monday Couple, but I guess the tolerating older sister character is the best thing for her.
Meanwhile, the last three departures of the show are either looking for bigger opportunities or looking for personal growth. Kang Gary will never have a happy personal life if he is still seen by many as The Monday Boyfriend. Meanwhile, Kwang Soo also has a romantic relationship on top of an upward acting career. Yes, LKS still does Korean variety shows with Yoo Jae Suk here and there, but the schedule isn't as tedious as that of Running Man.
I wanted to say Song Joong Ki but he has been out of Running Man for more than a decade now. I also thought he was just looking for a big project so he could find a way out of the program. Instead, I'll just say that Kang Han Na and Lee Sang Yeob have also concentrated on their acting careers.
I guess So Min is either looking for love or looking for career advancement. Again, either she stays and becomes Song Ji Hyo or she leaves and finds other opportunities elsewhere. The wedding bit she had in Running Man's 676th episode could be THE sign of why she's going to leave the show. Since becoming an RM mainstay, she has starred in four drama series and three films - two of which are going to premiere in 2024.
Running Man is left with six members. Yoo Jae Suk has maxed out his awesomeness with Lee Suk Jin picking up most of Kwang Soo's comedic shticks. I like to say that Haha and Yang Se Chan would pick up on what So Min did but Haha's handicap of being a family man and the virtual right-hand man in Hangout With Yoo, as well as YSC's inability to become the girl-crazy character (he suits the lovable sidekick to Kim Jong Kook, Ji Hyo, and Haha more) would be a problem. Like Jae Suk, what you see is what you get with Jong Kook and Ji Hyo. They can make Ji Hyo a masterful strategist again to re-form the SpartAce combo but I don't know if their previous love line has ruined this for them.
New members? I guess like what they did with So Min and Se Chan, they can have two new members coming in at the same time so they can both share the burden of rookie backlash. I think they want a 20-something member, but I really hope they would get a guy they already have chemistry with. One name that stands out is Kang Hoon, especially with his interactions with KJK in Express Delivery. Also, with So Min gone, Kang Hoon is not going to be stuck on a love line. An example they need to veer away from is Yoo Seon Ho. I don't really want to hate but he gives away Joo Won vibes in 1N2D Season 4. And while at least Joo Won is eye candy for the girls, I don't know if YSH is comparable to Na In Woo. Seon Ho is an attention seeker but he pimps his talents (or lack thereof) more and unless a cast member piggybacks on his talents (or lack thereof), it's hard to create comedic moments with him.
As for a girl, this is tough. Instead of a love line, she needs to be compatible with Song Ji Hyo. Again, the sister tandem works for Ji Hyo and the new female member needs to feed on this as well. Unlike the men, the girls need to thrive despite the presence of idols but will be respected by actresses as well. I guess I'm looking at a Kwon Yu Ri or Jung Eun Ji archetype.
Hopefully, this is not the end of Jeon So Min in Running Man. So Min actually got her momentum back as part of Running Man. With the exception of Gary, the only things we got from former members were a cameo from Joong Ki and Kwang Soo (voice only), and an almost uneventful appearance from Lizzy. Kang Gary was actually a surprise guest during Members Week but has since distanced himself from the show.
Good luck to her future endeavors but hopefully this is not the cause of RM's decline.