On the October 31st broadcast of KBS Joy’s Hit song of the 20th century (Episode 287), the show highlighted singers who overcame pain and adversity. The episode featured singer Kim Kyung-ho’s 1999 track Ruthless at No. 5, and hosts Kim Hee-chul and Lee Mi-joo discussed the artist’s struggles with avascular necrosis of the femoral head, an extremely painful condition that causes bones to die due to lack of blood supply.
Kim Kyung-ho had already shared in a 2006 broadcast, “I couldn’t walk or stand. The cartilage was melting and my bones were rubbing against each other.” Despite this, he continued to perform while relying on painkillers, even completing a scheduled concert in Japan.
Soon after he underwent major surgery which involved connecting 21 ligaments. The consequences of the procedure caused the cartilage of the hips and femur to sink and its height decreased by 2 cm.
Reflecting on this, Kim Hee-chul said, “My hips also collapsed and my height decreased. I used to be about 185cm tall, but now I’m 176cm. I joked about it before, but it really happened.”
Kim Hee-chul suffered serious injuries in a car accident in 2006, requiring him to recover for 12 weeks. He suffered fractures to his thigh and ankle and underwent major surgery in which seven metal rods were implanted. He later received a grade 4 physical disability designation due to long-term effects.
Recalling the incident on his YouTube channel, Hee-chul shared: “It was about 10 years ago. I was even exempted from reservist duty. When I went for a medical check-up, they told me I might never be able to walk again and that I wouldn’t be able to take long flights. The process for applying for disability status was deeply confusing.”
He continued, “My face and body became asymmetrical, and eventually my mental health began to decline as well. I began to distance myself from performing, believing that it was better not to do something than to do it badly. Every time I saw Super Junior stages without me, I felt longing and regret, so I chose to avoid it.”
Despite the difficulties, Hee-chul expressed how meaningful it is Super Junior remains to him, adding: “Performing with Super Junior is like dopamine for me. Even though most of the mental scars have faded, I believe what remains will be healed through the Super Show tour.”
Sources: Daum
