Lee Do. [MBC]
Lee Do. [MBC]

Lee Do, a 28-year-old social studies tutor who drew criticism from students after abruptly suspending classes just three weeks before the 2027 College Scholastic Ability Test, citing health reasons, only to appear on a variety show, has been eliminated first from the Netflix program.

In "Devil's Plan: Dead Again" — the third installment of the Devil's Plan series — released Tuesday, Lee failed to make a notable impression and became the first contestant eliminated.

Immediately after being eliminated, Lee said his goal had been simply not to get knocked out. "My goal was 'don't get eliminated,' and I got eliminated. I'm disappointed that I couldn't achieve what I set out to do," he said. "It's not that I was eliminated unfairly — there were many games, and I never once stood out."

He added that he still had much to improve. "I'll grow from here," he said. "I'll keep developing until I can win someday."

Lee's early exit is drawing particular attention given how actively he had sought a spot on the show, even bringing up his own college entrance exam scores when approaching the producer.

At the press conference for "Devil's Plan 3" held Thursday, Lee explained how he came to appear on the show. "I ran into producer Jeong Jong-yeon at a Netflix event last year," he said. "I went up to introduce myself and asked him to please consider me if he ever made 'Devil's Plan 3.'"

He also spoke of how much the opportunity meant to him. "I was truly desperate. I've enjoyed every program he's made since I was young. It was a dream stage for me," he said.

Meanwhile, Lee came under fire after suspending his Korean geography and world geography courses on Oct. 29, just three weeks before the college entrance exam, citing health reasons. The backlash intensified when it emerged that he had attended the show's press conference, launched his own YouTube channel, and — as was also noted — had delayed lecture videos the previous year to focus on broadcast appearances.

Ultimately, Etoos, the online education platform where Lee was employed, issued a formal apology and made all 17 of his existing lectures private, while also shutting down a Q&A board that had been flooded with complaints from students.

Lee posted a handwritten apology on his Instagram on Tuesday, saying he was "sincerely sorry to the students who trusted and followed this year's Korean geography and world geography curriculum."

"I disrupted your plans at the most critical time, and for two consecutive years I failed to see the curriculum through to the end," he wrote. "There is no excuse — it is entirely my fault."

Lee graduated from Seoul National University's geography education department and rose to wider fame last year when he appeared on the Netflix variety show "Motaesolojiiman Yeonaeneun Hasipeo," a dating show for lifelong singles. He has since been active across television and YouTube, appearing on MBC's "Jeonjijeogin Chamgyeon Sijeom," SBS Power FM's "Bae Seong-jae's Ten," and YouTube channels including Pisik University, Mimiminu and Gwaktube.


yeonjoo7@heraldcorp.com