Comedian Lee Sang-jun. [Herald POP (now Herald Muse) provided]
Comedian Lee Sang-jun. [Herald POP (now Herald Muse) provided]

Korean comedian Lee Sang-jun has apologized following complaints about his stand-up show in Los Angeles.

On Wednesday, Lee posted an apology on Instagram, saying he had confirmed that some audience members felt uncomfortable during the performance. "You came to laugh and have a good time, and I am so sorry. I am sorry again, and sorry once more," he wrote.

Lee also reflected on the shows themselves, writing that the 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. LA performances would rank among the most enjoyable he had ever done. "The bigger the laughter, the more fun I have, and my energy rises with it. The laughter I heard at the LA shows made even me incredibly happy," he said.

He pledged to keep improving, adding, "I will continue to study, keep working to grow and make every effort to create truly big laughs." He closed with another apology.

Lee held his stand-up comedy show "Lee Sang-jun Show" in LA on Sunday (local time), drawing an audience of about 1,700 people.

Critical reviews began appearing online shortly after the show, with complaints focused on the sound system and the event's organization. One audience member who said they paid $150 for a front-row seat wrote that "the sound system was a complete mess — I couldn't hear a word," adding that everyone seated on the left side of the venue shared the same complaint.

Another attendee who paid $173 for a ticket said the poor audio made it hard to follow the show and questioned why Lee walked onstage 10 minutes late. Some viewers also noted that most of the material was drawn from routines already available on YouTube, and that the show ran for only about an hour.

Not all reviews were negative, however. Audience members seated further back said the sound was fine from their section and that Lee's improvisational exchanges with the crowd were entertaining.

Lee is continuing his North America tour following the LA opener, with upcoming stops in Atlanta, Washington, D.C., New York and Toronto, Canada.


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