Singer Im Jae-bum reveals father’s identity

Singer Im Jae-bum has officially acknowledged for the first time that his father is retired anchorman Im Taek-geun.

On the KBS program “Win Win” broadcast on Dec. 6, Im opened up about his relationship with his celebrity father. Since the singer was born out of wedlock, he said he always addressed his father formally, keeping emotional distance from the anchorman given the distant relationship between the two.

Rumors have previous circulated about Im Jae-bum’s parentage, but this is the first time that the singer has openly acknowledged the identity of his father.

In the program, the entertainer said that he heard his father was involved in an accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down and had also recently undergone surgery to remove gallstones.

The 49-year-old musician also revealed for the first time that actor Son Ji-chang is his half-brother of the same father. Im said he vaguely knew about his brother and his suspicions were confirmed when he saw a photo of Son in an ad and felt a strange feeling.

Im also candidly admitted that he has been suffering from depression from the late 1990s, and said he has lived through much poverty. The singer said he decided to participate in the show “I am a Singer” to earn money to cover the medical expenses of his wife, who has been diagnosed with cancer.