Beloved K-Drama Actor Recalls Near-Death Experience Triggered By A “Pimple”

In a recent episode of KBS‘s Problem Child In House, actor Kim Seung Soo revealed he once nearly died from acute shingles.

On the show, Kim Seung Soo recalled the moment his life was at risk. He said, “I had returned from a business trip to China. I was so exhausted that I nearly collapsed upon arriving in Korea. Feeling a little better, I had a drink at home and went to sleep.”

When he woke up the next day, he had what he thought was a “pimple” pop up on his face. He didn’t think much of it at first… except it began spreading like wildfire. Soon enough, Kim Seung Soo was on his way to the hospital.

The next day, I woke up with pimples on my face. I thought, ‘It must be because I’m tired,’ but within 4–5 hours, it started spreading. I realized it wasn’t just regular pimples, so I went to a pharmacy. They told me it looked like shingles and advised me to go to the hospital immediately.

— Kim Seung Soo

The actor described how severe his condition ended up being—including the medical team warning him of its “possible invasion into the cornea.”

My entire face was covered in blisters. The pain felt like someone was scratching my face with a fork. When I was alone, the pain was so intense that I groaned aloud. The scary part was when the doctor said that if the shingles virus reached my brain, it could cause paralysis on one side of my body, or if it got into my eyes, I could go blind.

— Kim Seung Soo

Kim Seung Soo said that surviving such a close brush with death, lying 15 days in bed, completely changed his perspective on life.

Read more about Kim Seung Soo here:

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