For years, Infinite Challenge has been remembered as one of the greatest variety shows in Korean television history. But for one of its most beloved cast members, the legendary show seems to carry memories that are far more complicated than simple nostalgia.
Comedian Jung Hyung Don recently opened up about his difficult early days on Infinite Challenge, revealing that co-star Park Myung Soo’s treatment of him once made him seriously consider leaving the show.
In the latest video shared on the Hawasu YouTube channel, Jung Hyung Don reunited with Park Myung Soo and Jung Jun Ha. At one point during the conversation, Jung Hyung Don admitted that he does not enjoy looking back on the past because it can feel like “selling nostalgia.” However, he still opened up about how intimidated he felt by Park Myung Soo at the time.
I was really suppressed by Myung Soo hyung back then. He would make me feel so self-conscious because I was from KBS.
— Jung Hyung Don
Jung Hyung Don then explained that, at the time, Infinite Challenge and KBS’s Sang Sang Plus were filmed on the same day. According to him, there was tension because he was working between broadcasting stations during an era when networks were wary of talent coming from rival broadcasters. “This is my first time saying this in 22 years,” Jung Hyung Don said. He then added, half-jokingly, “If only he would let me, I’d love to punch him in the face.”
박명수가 정형돈에게 엄청 텃세를 부렸었나봄.. 힘들어서 무한도전 그만두려고 했는데 유재석이랑 김태호가 붙잡았대 pic.twitter.com/xPgOiyJFTC
— 쌀깡쩡 (@ricegangjjeong) June 21, 2026
At that time, Myung Soo hyung was uncomfortable with people coming from other broadcasting stations. It was the same at KBS too. There was a lot of wariness toward people from other networks. He made things so difficult for me back then that I said I wasn’t going to do Infinite Challenge anymore. It was Yoo Jae Suk hyung and PD Kim Tae Ho who convinced me to keep pushing through.
— Jung Hyung Don
Jung Hyung Don also brought up another painful memory from Infinite Challenge’s famous bobsleigh special. According to him, he was injured during filming but felt that the production team did not take his condition seriously.
Jung Hyung Don recalled that the cast once moved locations without realizing he was not with them. “Everyone left without me,” he said, “and no one even noticed I wasn’t there.”
He also explained that he had served as the fourth brakeman during the bobsleigh challenge and later went to the hospital for an examination. According to Jung Hyung Don, even the doctor was surprised by the injury. “The doctor said it was his first time seeing someone injure both the first and second ligaments,” Jung Hyung Don said.
What upset him most, however, was the difference in how he felt he was treated compared to another cast member. “I was already angry at the production team, but hyung delivered the final blow,” he said.
What made me angry was that Jun Jin was injured too, and they sent him to the hospital. But they didn’t send me. Instead, I had Park Myung Soo say, ‘That punk is putting on a show again because he doesn’t want to ride.’ It was edited out of the broadcast, but he really said it exactly like that.
— Jung Hyung Don
Park Myung Soo did not deny Jung Hyung Don’s account. “I was a senior comedian at MBC, and there were ten comedy classes below me,” Park Myung Soo admitted, “so there was that kind of competitiveness. I won’t deny it.” He then apologized, saying, “If I hurt you, I’m sorry.”
As Jung Hyung Don’s comments began drawing attention online, he later sent a separate video message to the production team to clarify his intentions.
Because it had been so long since I’d seen the hyungs, I got emotional, and I didn’t express some things properly. I focused too much on exposing things, so there may be room for misunderstanding. Myung Soo hyung is a good person. Please give him lots of love.
— Jung Hyung Don
Regardless, online reactions were largely sympathetic toward Jung Hyung Don, with many viewers saying they were heartbroken to learn that a show so fondly remembered by fans may have been painful for him behind the scenes.
- Seems like he had a really hard time. This makes me feel bad…
- If I remember correctly, Jung Hyung Don developed panic disorder and couldn’t continue working during Infinite Challenge… Even as a viewer watching the edited final version, I could see the favoritism, so I thought it must have been hard to endure. How much worse must it have been for him?
- Park Myung Soo didn’t only haze Jung Hyung Don. On Infinite Challenge, he did it to Jung Jun Ha and Gil too, and on Happy Together, he did it to Kim Gu Ra and Ji Sang Ryul too. When Yoo Jae Suk first came to MBC through Roommate Match, Park Myung Soo was also one of the people who opposed it, saying, “Why are we using a KBS comedian?” All of this was mentioned on broadcasts, so it’s official. Park Myung Soo is honestly one of those people whose image has been really well-packaged.
- I’m seeing Park Myung Soo differently now.
- I really hated how they would always say he wasn’t funny so harshly whenever he did anything. It eventually became his “character,” but imagine how hard it must have been during that process.
- I didn’t watch Infinite Challenge, but I knew Jung Hyung Don had a really hard time because of the show. That’s actually one of the reasons I didn’t watch it.
- It looks like he came on to draw a line because they keep trying to do nostalgia-bait with Hawasu.
- Still, I hope Jung Hyung Don feels lighter now that he was able to talk about it on broadcast at least once. Park Myung Soo apologized, and Jung Hyung Don also said he understood that, because of the atmosphere in the entertainment industry at the time, there were parts where Park Myung Soo had no choice but to act that way… If the mood now turns into people dragging Park Myung Soo, I feel like Jung Hyung Don would have an even harder time because of his personality. Maybe he was worried about that, because he even filmed an explanation video by himself saying he got emotional after seeing his hyungs for the first time in so long and expressed himself too strongly. He’s such an emotional and soft-hearted person. I hope he doesn’t get hurt and just does what he wants to do while being happy.
- For real… Hyung Don saying this is the first time he’s talked about it in 22 years… I was literally watching Infinite Challenge until just now, and this makes me sad. I hope Jung Hyung Don feels even a little better. I hope he can at least talk about it and let it go. There were so many people who were happy because he did Infinite Challenge, and there are so many people who support him too, so I hope his heart feels even a little lighter.
Others pointed out that Jung Hyung Don has always seemed to have complicated feelings toward Infinite Challenge. Some netizens also urged people not to turn Jung Hyung Don’s confession into another wave of attacks against Park Myung Soo, especially since he apologized, and Jung Hyung Don himself clarified that Park Myung Soo was not a bad person.
Watch the full video here:
Source: MBC, Newsen and theqoo