Lee Joo-bin Returns to 'Running Man' After 6 Years: "I Learned the Bitterness of the World and Not to Trust People"

Lee Joo-bin shared her thoughts on returning to the show after six years.

On the May 31 broadcast of SBS's 'Running Man,' a new producer (PD) joined the show to lead a race with the cast members.

During the episode, the members were left sweating as they started running right from the opening. Seeing this, Kim Jong-kook remarked, "I guess the new PD really likes running and things like this."

Hearing this, HAHA commented on the ambitious new PD's initiation, saying, "I told you, they were a 'Running Man kid'!"

Guest star Lee Joo-bin looked flustered and said, "I had no idea we'd start running right away. I heard they don't run much these days, so I never expected this." Jee Seokjin explained the shift in atmosphere, saying, "Well, it's because we have a new director now."

Jee Seokjin then asked Lee Joo-bin, "Did you see the match before the opening?" to which she replied, "I only heard about it. I heard it was fierce."

Yang Sechan chimed in, looking shocked by his own defeat, "No, it wasn't fierce. I just got completely destroyed."

Lee Joo-bin then brought laughter by mentioning Yang Sechan's bold exposure during his match against Jee Seokjin, saying, "Actually, looking from afar, I thought you were Kim Jong-kook because you took off your clothes so confidently."

As the members gathered clues throughout the day, they struggled to trust one another. In particular, Team Jong-kook refused to believe HAHA at all, eventually excluding him entirely.

Frustrated that his teammates wouldn't believe him even when he was telling the truth, HAHA complained about his unfair treatment. He went over to Team Jae-seok to vent, but they didn't trust him either. Yu Jae-seok sparked laughter by expressing his deep distrust of the notorious betrayer HAHA, saying, "Now I understand why Jong-kook did that."

After all the missions were completed, the teams began putting their clues together to deduce the final answer. However, their mutual distrust raised curiosity about what the final outcome would be.

Lee Joo-bin, in particular, expressed her sense of betrayal, saying, "I can't trust anyone. Why is everyone suddenly changing their stories at the very end?" She then drew attention by declaring, "I'm not going to deduce anything. I'm just going to choose a costume based on my own taste."

Contrary to everyone's expectations, all members of Team Jong-kook successfully went home early. In the final moments, the teammates chose to trust one another and shared their clues, which allowed them to confidently find the correct answer.

On the other hand, Team Jae-seok, who failed to trust each other until the very end, saw only Yang Sechan succeed in going home early, leaving the rest disappointed. Lee Joo-bin brought down the house with her final thoughts, saying, "It's my first time on the show in six years, and I'm leaving with a harsh lesson about the bitterness of the world and why you should never trust people." 

(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Hyo-jung)