Jang Keun Suk recalled his battle with thyroid cancer and revealed that he owns a building in Shibuya, Japan, as a third-generation Hallyu star.
The episode aired on the 16th and featured Jang Keun Suk, Lee Hong Gi, Su Bin, and Kim Shin Young for the special titled 'World Class, I Can Only See You~.'
That day, Jang Keun Suk, who visited MBC for the first time, said, 'Surprisingly, I came to Sangam MBC for the first time,' to which Lee Hong Gi added, 'He was also amazed that there was a shower room in the waiting room.' Jang Keun Suk remarked, 'There's even a restroom,' saying, 'It's strange that I had no connection with MBC. I was looking around, amazed at the high ceiling of the parking lot as I arrived.'
In particular, regarding his appearance on 'Radio Star,' Jang Keun Suk began, 'I was a bit sick last year. I had been battling thyroid cancer, and fortunately, it was detected quickly when it was very small.'
'I usually get health check-ups once a year,' he continued. 'But then it suddenly came out, and I thought I would like to undergo surgery soon. Coincidentally, there was a medical crisis at that time. I could not have surgery for about 10 months. So I was wondering what to do. I delayed my work, and while waiting, a spot opened up, and I had surgery immediately.'
At that time, Jang Keun Suk had not even spoken to his parents about it. He shared, 'I didn't tell anyone at that time,' explaining, 'I thought it would be hard for them to empathize when I talked about that pain. The pain is something they haven't experienced, and I felt it would be burdensome for them to deliberately care about it, so I kept quiet and stayed silent.'
'Fortunately, I am now cured. I have become very healthy, and I have developed a desire to speak and listen to many more people during my remaining time, so I wanted to go out,' he added.
Meanwhile, in response to a question about the lineage of popularity in Japan, Jang Keun Suk mentioned that there is a hierarchy by generation, naming Jo Yong Pil and Kim Yeon Ja as the first generation, and Bae Yong Jun and Lee Byung Hun as the second generation.
Jang Keun Suk also noted, 'Starting from the third generation, we have become younger. Previously, when thinking of Korean men, the image was mainly of Deputy Ministers or secretaries. There were many instances where we would show up and ask, 'Are you okay? What's going on?' But from our generation, the variety of professions increased,' and he listed Kara, FT Island, Park Shin Hye, and Dongbang, which includes himself as part of the third generation.
'It truly is the Warring States period of BTS, Park Seo Jun, and Park Bo Gum, and nowadays it's the fifth generation with Chae Jong Hyup,' he said.
Nevertheless, when the MCs said that Bae Yong Jun and Jang Keun Suk were the two tops of the Hallyu wave, Kim Shin Young replied, 'When you go toward Shibuya, women take pictures in front of some building. It looks small, but it turns out to be a substantial building that belongs to Jang Keun Suk. They really take pictures there. Jang Keun Suk's building is cool.'
Kim Shin Young then answered to Kim Gura's question, 'What has opened there?' by saying, 'There's a café.' A surprised Jang Keun Suk asked, 'How do you know?' and Kim Shin Young responded, 'I used to stay in that area. There's a park and a department store on the road down.' To this, Jang Keun Suk added, 'That's right. It's right behind the department store,' and Kim Gura humorously remarked, 'Wasn't that when the yen was good?'
[Photo] Captured from the broadcast screen of 'Radio Star.'
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