Description: On October 25, 2026, Running Man episode 824 turned Yoo Jae-suk's AI fortune reading into jokes about imaginary trillions of won, becoming president and Ji Suk-jin's salt bread.
Yoo Jae-suk wanted a reading about financial luck. His castmates pretended he already had two trillion won and wanted three. When he switched to career prospects, the AI said he wanted a higher position, so the group joked that his next job must be president. The fortune figure was an exaggeration, not a verified net-worth disclosure.
When and where did this happen?
SBS's South Korean variety show Running Man (런닝맨), episode 824, aired Sunday, October 25, 2026, at 6:10 p.m. Korean time. In the Beopka Eoditsei race around Seoul's Jongno 3-ga, participants completed challenges to pay for food and activities with a corporate card. Otherwise they had to pay personally. The cast visited a café offering AI-assisted face readings and saju, a Korean fortune-telling tradition based on birth information. AI does not make fortune-telling a scientifically established prediction.
Why two and three trillion?
Yoo is a leading Korean television presenter, often called a “national MC”. When he asked about money, the others jokingly wondered why someone so successful needed financial luck at all. They inflated his imagined wealth from two to three trillion won. No bank statement or verified asset figure appeared. The comedy turns an ordinary question—will I make more money?—into apparently limitless greed by exaggerating the host's reputation.
Why president, then salt bread?
Yoo chose career fortune instead. The AI said he wanted recognition at work and to climb higher. His colleagues asked how much higher he could possibly go, then suggested the presidency. That was an absurd imaginary promotion, not a political announcement.
Next, the AI asked about workplace problems. Yoo described older cast member Ji Suk-jin wanting salt bread during filming. Ji protested that he had meant to share it. The AI then asked, like a corporate HR adviser, whether Ji could affect Yoo's promotion or evaluation. Yoo immediately said no; Ji admitted he had no such power. A story about becoming president ended with a coworker who could not influence a promotion and a piece of bread.
Evidence and conclusion
SBS confirms the episode date, corporate-card game and AI fortune stop; its official short clip introduces the conversation about Ji. Korean reports from October 25–26 document the wealth and president jokes. This account does not claim to have watched the entire episode, and worldwide viral reach has not been measured.
Conclusion: Ask about money and you supposedly want another trillion; ask about work and you are headed for the presidency; complain about a colleague and he turns out to have no authority. The AI supplied questions. The cast supplied the punchlines.
References (5)
- [1] SBS episode 824 (2026-10-25): https://programs.sbs.co.kr/programTemplate/amp/vod/runningman/22000638674
- [2] SBS official AI clip (2026-10-25): https://m.programs.sbs.co.kr/programTemplate/amp/clip/mobile/OC482620593
- [3] NEWS1 broadcast report (2026-10-25): https://www.news1.kr/entertain/broadcast-tv/6331203
- [4] Sports Chosun career and president joke (2026-10-25): https://www.sportschosun.com/entertainment/2026-10-25/202610250100158100010292
- [5] OSEN wealth joke (2026-10-26): https://www.chosun.com/entertainments/broadcast/2026/10/26/MQ4DONBZGQYWCYJWG4YTQMBRMU/
