South Korean actor Kim Woo Bin has shared with honesty about his terrible fight with nasopharyngeal cancer, which is a rare, life-threatening illness that went close to cutting his life short. This is in the promotion of Officer Black Belt, his new movie on Netflix. The actor remarked on the devastating news he received in 2017, which also led him to a six-month time frame in which he was left to live. In a tearful recitation, he revealed how he had been carrying a positive attitude and treating himself through treatment and how there was such a marked recovery that fans all over the world were inspired by him.
Kim Woo Bin Shares His Life-Changing Diagnosis
In a recent visit on the YouTube channel “zebra Shin Dong Yup”, on the 16th of September 2024, Kim Woo Bin appeared alongside co-star Kim Sung Kyun during the promotion for their Netflix film, Officer Black Belt. Drinking non-alcoholic beer, Woo Bin shifted subjects and spoke about having the news that radically changed his life in 2017 when he was diagnosed with nasopharyngeal cancer. The actor described the moment as if it were something straight out of a drama, recalling how his doctor bluntly told him, “If it’s short, you only have six months to live.”
Despite the initial shock, Woo Bin stayed optimistic throughout the ordeal and refused to be overcome with fear. As he himself admitted, not overcoming the illness was never a question in his mind. Instead, he saw the treatment period as a time to rest and regain strength. The fans everywhere in the world supported him through this very tough journey, and Woo Bin believes that the prayers and good wishes gave him a source of power to battle. “I wanted to pass on those prayers to as many people as possible,” he said as the love and strength he received during those darkest days reflected on his face.
Life After Cancer: Kim Woo Bin’s Return to the Screen and Philanthropy
Kim Woo Bin, following his diagnosis, went through extensive treatment for months before he finally recovered fully in 2019. This victory made it possible for him to return to his passion—he loves acting. Since then, he has been seen in major projects such as the science fiction film Alienoid in 2022 and a sequel called Alienoid: Return to the Future, which is to be released in 2024. Other than work in such K-dramas as Our Blues and Black Knight, Woo Bin has cemented himself once again to the entertainment world.
Other than acting, Kim Woo Bin is always giving back to society. On November 23, 2022, he donated 100 million won to the Hope Bridge Disaster Relief Association for the victims of the wildfires in South Korea. The following year, he again donated another 100 million won this time for underprivileged patients at Seoul’s Asan Medical Centre with their medical expenses. Through his charity work, Woo Bin kept manifesting the gratitude and resilience he learned through his battle with cancer.
