Actor Kim Jung-tae revealed why he stayed on set even while battling liver cancer, delivering a poignant impact. His hidden financial struggles and sense of responsibility to his family behind his glamorous acting life are receiving renewed attention.
Recently, TV Chosun's variety show Dad and I released a preview video titled "Dad Kim Jung-tae's liver cancer test." In the video, Kim Jung-tae visits a university hospital for blood draws and CT scans to check his health.
Kim Jung-tae said, "My family has weak livers. That's why I had liver cancer surgery," noting that he learned of the illness around October 2018 and underwent surgery in November of the same year. Though he delivered the confession calmly, it contained the pain he had endured alone for a long time.
He confessed that he had experienced cirrhosis three times even before the liver cancer. But even as his body was failing, he could not stop working. Recalling the filming of the movies The Pirates and Becoming the Disco King, he said, "Even when I was sick I couldn't speak up for fear of being fired. I overdid action practice and my abdomen filled with ascites," he recalled.
He went on to admit that the disease recurred during the filming of Ddonggae, but he hid it and stood on set. He said, "At the stage greeting my mother greeted the director and cried so much. It was because she saw me fighting in the film," which drew sympathy. It turns out his mother knew the time he endured filming while sick.
This is not Kim Jung-tae's first confession. Earlier on the broadcast documentary 4-person dining table, he revealed that he experienced severe financial hardship after his debut. He said, "Even when there was a fuss that I acted well, when I turned around I had to deliver fried chicken. Fame did not correspond to financial income."
He also confessed, "When I was in the film Friend, I didn't even receive my appearance fee because it was intercepted in the middle," and "As my father's business got into trouble, I took on all the debt and became credit impaired." He continued, "Of the 70 actors at the agency, I was the only one living in a gosiwon. I also stayed briefly at the Seoul Station homeless shelter," revealing shocking details. During the time his body also broke down, his health worsened after a stage greeting for the film Sunflower but he didn't even have money for hospital bills. He recalled, "There wasn't even 1 million won at home."
Still, the reason he could ultimately endure was his family. Kim Jung-tae choked up, saying, "I had no choice but to endure because I had to support my family. I worked hard to protect my family." He added, "My credit problems were cleared when I was 40. That was when I first had a credit card in my name," leaving a deep impression.
Netizens have reacted, "So this is the story behind the funny image," "You can feel the weight of the head of household who endured for his family," "I hope he stays healthy and active for a long time," and "It really feels like a life drama."
[Photo] Screenshot from the broadcast of Dad and I, 4-person dining table
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