Soccer Player Hwang Hee-chan Appears on SBS 'Running Man'

The episode of 'Running Man' aired on the 9th recorded a '2049 viewership rating' of 2.6% (Nielsen Korea metropolitan area, household standards), maintaining its position as the number one show in its time slot. 

The highest minute-by-minute rating peaked at 5.9%, with an overall household rating of 4.2%, showing an increase from last week and demonstrating high viewer interest.

The episode featured the '3rd Hwang Hee-chan Futsal Running Cup,' with Hwang Hee-chan from Wolverhampton making a guest appearance, receiving enthusiastic cheers. 

Hwang Hee-chan had previously been mentioned as the 'number one recruit' for the futsal team by the members and had shown his willingness to participate through a video message. 

Hwang Hee-chan expressed, "It's an honor to appear on a program I've watched since I was young," to which Song Ji Hyo responded with unexpected flirting, saying, "He's handsome. My type," causing laughter. 

Hwang Hee-chan identified Yoo Jae-suk and Ji Suk-jin as the weakest soccer players in 'Running Man,' while praising Song Ji-hyo for scoring a crucial goal. He also gave his assessment of Kim Jong-kook, saying, "I thought he was really bad based on the show, but seeing him this time, I thought he was better than expected."

Meanwhile, the teams for the match were newly formed. FC Ttuk included Hwang Hee-chan, Oh Ha-young, and Heo Kyung-hwan, while FC Kkuk added actor Jang Hyuk, singer Zico, and comedian Kang Jae-joon.

Before the match, each team went through special training. Hwang Hee-chan tried to teach FC Ttuk members tips to improve their passing game, but the members struggled to keep up, leading to Hwang Hee-chan's expression stiffening and ultimately declaring, "This isn't going to work," which caused laughter. On the other hand, FC Kkuk rebelled against Kim Jong-kook's biased team selection. Yang Se-chan and Kang Hoon expressed their displeasure at Jang Hyuk's selection, criticizing the 'clique-based soccer' approach.

The match then began in earnest. As expected, Hwang Hee-chan led FC Ttuk with his exceptional skills, helping Oh Ha-young and Heo Kyung-hwan score goals, leading the team to a 2-0 advantage. Whether FC Ttuk can secure a victory in the revenge match with the 'Hwang Hee-chan effect' will be revealed in next week's episode.