The 'Nation's MC' Yu Jae-seok once again proved his unrivaled 36-year career footprint by receiving the Bogwan Order of Cultural Merit, the highest-ranking government award in the field of popular culture and arts.

On October 29, Yu Jae-seok was selected as a recipient of the Bogwan Order of Cultural Merit at the 17th Korea Popular Culture and Arts Awards ceremony, held at the Haeoreum Grand Theater of the National Theater of Korea in Jung-gu, Seoul.

Hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and organized by the Korea Creative Content Agency, the Korea Popular Culture and Arts Awards is the highest-level government accolade established to honor the contributions of those who have advanced the popular culture and arts industry. With this honor, Yu Jae-seok achieved the historic milestone of winning three awards at the Korea Popular Culture and Arts Awards alone, following a Prime Minister's Commendation in 2012, a Presidential Commendation in 2018, and now the Bogwan Order of Cultural Merit in 2026.

Taking the stage to receive the honor that day, Yu Jae-seok humbly shared the credit, saying, "I never even imagined or dreamed of a day like this, and I consider it a tremendous honor and an honor for my family." He added, "I believe I was able to stand here thanks to the numerous senior and junior colleagues, production crews, and staff members who worked hard with me to create fun variety shows, as well as the viewers who always support us."

He continued with a heartfelt pledge, saying, "I think what I have to do will not change in the future. I will continue to study and work hard endlessly. I do not know how long I will be allowed to do this, but I will do my absolute best and work diligently day by day."

Yu Jae-seok has continuously built a sense of empathy across generations, commanding both strong viewership ratings and online buzz across various platforms, ranging from flagship terrestrial variety shows such as SBS's "Running Man" and MBC's "Hangout with Yoo" to the web variety show "Pinggyego."

(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)