Kim Byung Man apologizes for press event tardiness controversy

Kim Byung Man has issued a public apology following controversy over his late arrival to an official press event.

On May 21 KST, Kim Byung Man shared a lengthy apology through social media, saying, “I am writing this to sincerely apologize for the delay at the recent production presentation caused by my carelessness.”

He explained, “I traveled from Jeju on May 19 to attend the ‘King of Survival 2’ press conference on the 20th. While preparing for the event and heading to my morning schedule, I failed to properly anticipate the sudden weather changes and heavy traffic caused by rain.”

Kim continued, “I kept the reporters who attended waiting, and as a result, the event schedule was delayed because of my mistake. I sincerely apologize for that.”

He added that he would be more careful when managing future schedules, saying, “I will think more carefully and prepare more thoroughly moving forward. Once again, I apologize to everyone who experienced inconvenience because of me.”

The entertainer also expressed concern that the incident could negatively affect the program itself. “TV CHOSUN’s ‘King of Survival’ Season 2 began airing yesterday,” he wrote. “All the staff and cast worked passionately filming in remote areas of Taiwan. I hope my mistake does not lessen viewers’ anticipation for the show.”

The controversy began on May 20 during the press conference for King of Survival 2 held at a TV CHOSUN studio in Geumcheon-gu, Seoul.

Cast members including Kim Jong Kook, Kim Byung Man, Yuk Jun Seo, Younghoon of THE BOYZ, producer Lee Seung Hoon, and director Yoon Jong Ho attended the event.

Although the press conference was scheduled to begin at 10 AM, Kim Byung Man reportedly arrived around 20 minutes late due to traffic congestion caused by rain, resulting in delays to the event schedule.

Reports also noted that journalists were unable to enter the venue until after cast photo sessions had finished, leading to further inconvenience on site.

Criticism intensified because Kim Byung Man did not immediately apologize during the event itself. In addition, a previous incident from March, where he was reportedly about 15 minutes late to another official ceremony, resurfaced online, prompting some netizens to question whether the comedian had developed a pattern of habitual tardiness.