Lee Hyori mentioned past relationships

Singer Lee Hyori is returning to variety television, and she is bringing memories of past romances with her.

Lee Hyori joins hosts Yoo Jae-suk, Jang Hang-jun, and Yoon Jong Shin as a special MC on the first episode of the new KBS variety program "Happy Together - Glad I'm Not Alone," which premieres July 10.

The reunion has been a long time coming. It has been 20 years since Yoo Jae-suk, Yoon Jong Shin, and Lee Hyori first worked together as one of Korean variety's best-known sibling-like trios. On the new show, Yoo Jae-suk jokes that "a lot of the sediment in Hyo-ri's heart has settled," a nod to how the once-fiery star has mellowed with time. Lee Hyori responds that she is "grateful we can all gather again without anyone falling from grace." She adds that she had turned down every audition program that came her way, but agreed to appear because "Happy Together - Glad I'm Not Alone" was coming back.

Once the show starts, Lee Hyori wastes no time keeping both her fellow MCs and the contestants on edge. "Can I be a little harsh?" she asks at the top of the episode, setting up sharp critiques. But her tough front cracks quickly. Three seconds into one contestant's performance, she is in tears.

The moment that reportedly stunned the studio came after the stage ended. "Every song reminds me of one ex-boyfriend," Lee Hyori said, turning her critique into a confession.

Before marrying musician Lee Sang-soon, Lee Hyori was linked in Korean media to singers Hong Kyung-min and Sung Si Kyung and actor Lee Seo-jin, though she never publicly confirmed any of those relationships.