I don't mind Ri doing Japanese variety, I just wrote a post on this as well, however I do get annoyed when he gets portrayed as the village idiot, always getting picked on, smacked around, etc. Jay Park does comedy in Korea (SNL) and I enjoy it a lot. I just wish that Ri wouldn't get stuck with the image of the town idiot and I think that's what the company worries about as well. Ri is very talented and I hope variety shows enable him to get treated seriously in Japan. :0)
Honestly, me and some friens have spoken about this and we all have come to the conclusion that this is actually the downside. You are totally right imo and I agree with you. This is also my fear. I don’t like how he often gets portayed as some stupid idiot. :/ I think we all agree on the fact that he's more than that...