"Can You Still Be on TV? Quit Drinking and Stop Going Out"...What Cho Sae-ho Said on a Variety Show After Gangster Allegations

[The Financial News] Comedian Cho Sae-ho has shared how he feels about the controversy over allegations that he had ties to gangsters.
The episode of Netflix’s "Screwballs Season 4: The Rival" released on the 22nd showed the members competing fiercely for the main vocalist position.
On the show, Cho Sae-ho appeared after transforming into his alter ego Jo Jazz and passionately singing "Don’t You Know." Seeing this, Jang Wooyoung asked, "Can you even be on TV like this?" Joo Woo-jae then remarked, "I don’t know if I should be saying this, but your work dried up so your singing got better. If you want to keep doing Jonamjidae, you should drop your other gigs," bringing up the allegations that Cho Sae-ho had ties to gangsters.
Cho Sae-ho responded, "Right now I’m pouring everything into this one thing," and continued, "I’ve been spending time with my wife, picking up different hobbies, and I’ve been on the phone with the 'Screwballs' producer almost eight days a week. To the point my wife might misunderstand." Jang Wooyoung chimed in, "He even said time was passing so slowly that he started learning guitar," making everyone laugh.
Kim Sook, who came on next, greeted him by saying, "It’s been a while since I’ve seen you in person," and advised, "You need to quit drinking and stop going out so much." Hong Jin-kyung also asked, "Are you okay?" and said she had been worried because "You were sitting at church all the time."
Cho Sae-ho said, "From now on, I’ll be more careful about the relationships I keep," and added, "I’m sorry for causing concern. It was my own carelessness in managing my relationships, and this has given me a lot to think about."
He went on, "I never received any money or valuables, and I wasn’t involved with him in any financial or business way. I’ve just done a lot of events since back in the day. He’s someone I got to know while hosting local events and weddings. We still check in on each other and occasionally have a meal, but it’s nothing more and nothing less than that. I don’t gain anything from promoting his restaurant." He drew a clear line with those words.
He then added, "I didn’t make any separate statement at the time because I thought a lot of people must have been shocked by that photo, and would feel uncomfortable and disappointed in me. So I felt it was only right for me to step down from '2 Days & 1 Night' and 'You Quiz on the Block.'"
Joo Woo-jae in particular addressed Cho Sae-ho’s appearance on "Doriver 4," explaining, "This isn’t some lightning-fast comeback. We’re just filming on the dates that were already set. Only the season name is changing." Cho Sae-ho also stressed, "This is not a variety-show comeback. I’m still reflecting on what has happened, and I’m determined to do better going forward. If I’m going to take responsibility as a member of this show, then I should work hard here. This isn’t something that will be over quickly; I’m going to keep being careful."

gaa1003@fnnews.com An Gaeul Reporter