'My pain has made me stronger': Actor Jang Keun-seuk talks about battle with thyroid cancer
Published: 21 Apr. 2025, 15:39
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- SHIN MIN-HEE
- [email protected]
![Actor Jang Keun-suk cries in a YouTube video posted in September 2024 while talking about his battle with thyroid cancer. [SCREEN CAPTURE]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/04/21/1671b27a-5f17-4a1f-9779-7f9767cd67fb.jpg)
Actor Jang Keun-suk cries in a YouTube video posted in September 2024 while talking about his battle with thyroid cancer. [SCREEN CAPTURE]
Actor Jang Keun-suk said Sunday that his battle with thyroid cancer led him to look at life in a different way.
Jang spoke about his struggle during an episode of season four of MBN’s variety show “Let’s GO” on Sunday, while introducing his 80-pyeong (264-square-meter) home.
“While battling the cancer, I’ve begun to treasure myself,” he said. “My pain has made me stronger.”
Thyroid cancer, when discovered in early stages, has a five-year survival rate of nearly 100 percent, according to a Korea University Medicine report.
“They say that thyroid cancer is a ‘nice cancer,’ but there’s a certain horror you get from the word ‘cancer,’” he said. “I needed time to accept my situation. I didn’t tell my family for a week [after the diagnosis].”
Jang added that he donated 1.2 billion won ($845,780) to his alma mater, Hanyang University, and was able to get a “good deal” on his surgery thanks to the donation.
“I’m studying philanthropy now,” he said, adding that he is also studying real estate, Bitcoin, stocks and bonds.
Jang revealed that he was battling thyroid cancer in a YouTube video last August. He was diagnosed in October 2023 and had surgery the following May.
BY SHIN MIN-HEE [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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