SEOUL - Fans of Running Man host Jeon So-min have been worried after she posted a photo of what appeared to be a farewell cake on Instagram Stories on Tuesday (Feb 8).

Written in Korean on the cake from the show's producers was the message: "Thank you for being a part of Running Man for so long".

Even before this, there had been rumours that Jeon, 35, would be leaving the long-running variety show as she had taken time off to recover from a foot fracture surgery in January.

The popular host-actress joined Running Man in 2017 and had appeared in more than 240 episodes, though she was either missing from recent episodes or filmed seated due to her injury.

Her acting career has also been on the rise recently, which fuelled rumours of her departure from Running Man.

In particular, her performance as an art teacher in Show Window: The Queen's House (2021 to 2022) received rave reviews and the series was one of the highest rated K-dramas on cable television.

She is also set to appear in the upcoming drama Cleaning Up, a remake of the British series of the same name about insider trading by an office cleaner.

Shortly after sharing the cake photo, Jeon posted selfies with fellow Running Man cast member Song Ji-hyo on the set.

This helped mollify her fans somewhat, that perhaps she was not leaving after all and the cake's message was merely one of encouragement.