When Gary was confirmed to leave SBS variety show "Running Man" in October this year, fans of the Monday Couple were saddened by the news. Gary is one-half of the Monday Couple together with Song Ji Hyo. Now with Gary gone, there are rumors that the actress will be the next one to exit the show.
One of the possible reasons for Song's rumored exit from "Running Man" is her heavy schedule. The actress has bagged the leading role in the upcoming movie "Super Express" together with Chen He. To promote the movie, the "Emergency Couple" actress is expected to travel to China.
"For the time being, Song will spend more time away from Korea," an industry insider told Korea Times. "Her fan meeting in China is one of those many events abroad." Song's fan meeting in China has been scheduled on Jan. 20.
This means that Song might be too busy with her promotional activities to be able to film for future episodes of "Running Man."
Meanwhile, Gary decided to permanently leave "Running Man" to focus on his music career. He was an original member of the show for the past 7 years, allkpop reported. Gary is part of hip hop duo Rissang, and the last album they released, titled "Unplugged," went out in 2012.
Gary is the second original "Running Man" cast member to leave the show. The first one was Song Joong Ki who left the show in 2011.
On the other hand, Ji Hyo showed support on Gary's decision to invest more time in his music. "I'm sad because we've been together for seven years, but I'll always be his colleague, rooting for him. Please keep Monday Couple as a piece of memory," the actress said addressing Gary and the fans.
Ji Hyo and Gary, collectively known as Monday Couple to their fans, is the longest-running reality TV couple in South Korea. Because of their closeness and chemistry on screen, there had been rumors of them dating. Although their representatives have refuted the rumors, they continue to show affection for one another in "Running Man."