This is a review article written after watching the broadcast.
'You Quiz on the Block' revealed why Choi Hong-man went into hiding.
On the 5th, the tvN variety show 'You Quiz on the Block' (hereafter 'YouQuiz') aired a "endless struggle" special featuring mixed martial artist Choi Hong-man, who opened up about the reason he disappeared.
In 2005, Choi Hong-man retired from ssireum after two years and drew attention by challenging himself as a K-1 fighter. He said, "At that time our ssireum team was on the verge of disbanding. I received a scout offer during that period. At first I hesitated but the conditions were too good. Even at a young age I received an offer of 1.5 billion won per year," which surprised viewers.
However, because it was a completely different sport, there were many concerns around him. Choi Hong-man recalled, "Because it was a totally different sport, acquaintances from the ssireum world said, 'Hong-man, if you go you'll just get beaten. There's absolutely no chance. You'll get seriously hurt,' and they worried a lot."
Conversely, Choi Hong-man also received criticism from people. When asked why he challenged himself despite that, he said, "I was 26 then. Being young, I thought a new challenge would be fine. What is there to be afraid of at a young age?"
He continued, "I was shocked to hear the team was going to disband. I was in the prime of my career, and then offers started coming from outside. The response at that time was 50-50. There were jeers like, 'Why would he do a sport he's never done in his life?' and 'He'll get beaten up and come back,' which only fueled me. Since I was going to do it anyway, I wanted to show something."
Choi then practiced taking hits and devoted himself to debuting as a 'k-1' fighter. He enjoyed the joy of winning within three months and, shuttling between Korea and Japan and shooting commercials, enjoyed a second heyday and reportedly earned an annual salary of 2 billion won, drawing attention.
But it was short-lived. At the height of his career in 2008, Choi Hong-man suddenly disappeared. He said, "I had a health check and a tumor was found in my brain. I had surgery then," and added that because of contracts he returned three months after major surgery, then withdrew during a match with Hariri and, facing heavy criticism, he avoided the public.
Choi Hong-man confessed, "When I won matches people cheered a lot, but when I lost they made up lies and cursed. That kept weighing on me," and said that because of malicious comments he lost as much as 20kg in weight.
From then on, Choi began avoiding people. He revealed, "I thought about quitting sports and became more withdrawn. When people came from the opposite side while I was walking, I always felt as if they were talking about me. When I go to crowded places I feel anxious. It got so severe that people around me told me to see a doctor, but I didn't even want to go to hospitals. I would have to face people there. As it kept piling up, I thought I should just avoid it."
[Photo] 'You Quiz on the Block' broadcast screen capture
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