Shocking couple story overshadows Lee Dong-gun's debut on 'Divorce Camp'

Actor Lee Dong-gun has made his debut as the new family investigator for JTBC's 'Divorce Camp.' While his casting initially sparked intense debate regarding his qualifications, the shocking stories of the featured couples in the first broadcast shifted the spotlight away from him.

In the episode of JTBC's 'Divorce Camp' aired on the 30th, Lee appeared for the first time as the successor to Jin Tae-hyun.

"I initially watched the program for fun, but as I kept watching, I grew fond of the participants," Lee said. "I realized that the decision to protect one's family, even by revealing one's own flaws on broadcast, is not easy, and I felt respect for that courage."

He also expressed his cautious feelings while touching upon his own experience with divorce.

"Because I was unable to do so, I worried a lot about whether I had the right to advise or evaluate someone," he revealed. "However, since I have gone through the same pain and difficult times, I gathered the courage with the hope that I might be able to understand and empathize a little more."

Lee's casting had sparked considerable controversy even before the broadcast. The production team's decision-making process came under fire after the previous investigator, Jin Tae-hyun, revealed that he was notified of his departure through his manager.

Jin stated via his SNS, "The decision to leave was conveyed through my manager," prompting viewers to criticize the production team for a lack of courtesy toward a long-time participant.

The disappointment was particularly notable as Jin had received praise for his sincere empathy and realistic advice to the couples on the show.

While Jin later attempted to settle the controversy by saying, "Please do not criticize the production team," the team still faced backlash for announcing his departure via subtitles without a formal farewell.

In this climate, the selection of Lee Dong-gun—who has experience with divorce—led to a heated debate between those who believed his shared experience would allow for "realistic empathy" and those questioning "whether he has the right to advise."

However, the atmosphere of the first broadcast shifted in an unexpected direction.

The husband of the first couple from the 23rd group confessed that he had earned approximately 100 million won through rare card trading in the past, but subsequently became obsessed with collecting and even became addicted to purchasing vehicles, changing his car seven times in a single year.

Meanwhile, the wife's repeated verbal abuse and physical violence toward her husband, combined with her tendency to shift responsibility onto him, shocked both the cast and viewers.

Ultimately, Seo Jang Hoon offered an unusually firm opinion, stating, "It seems right for these two to break up and live their own lives."

Immediately after the broadcast, online reactions included comments such as, "I didn't even notice Lee Dong-gun," "The couple's story was much more shocking than the successor controversy," and "It was an all-time legendary case."

'Divorce Camp' recorded a viewership rating of 2.7% (Nielsen Korea) among paid households nationwide. This is a 0.4 percentage point increase from the previous broadcast (2.3%), demonstrating rising interest in the program following the arrival of the new investigator.