Kim Heechul Reveals Disability Status “I Didn’t Want to Admit It”, Mother in Tears (My Little Old Boy)
On the January 12 episode of SBS’s “My Little Old Boy”, Kim Heechul accompanied Kim Jongmin, who had recently announced his marriage, to visit a shaman.
The shaman told Kim Heechul, “Your life is like a bonus. You faced a critical moment in your 20s.”
Kim Heechul responded, “I had a major car accident back then.” The shaman emphasized, “Your body’s balance was destroyed. Be careful this July. You must take extra caution in the summer. If you break a bone or get a fracture, you could end up with a permanent disability.”
Kim Jongmin expressed surprise, “That’s serious.” Kim Heechul then shocked everyone by confessing, “I’ve never mentioned this before, but I’m actually disabled.”
Kim Heechul suffered a significant accident in 2006. He shared, “There’s a disability sticker for cars. I went to get it with my manager but decided not to take it, thinking ‘No, I need to live a more active life’, and turned back without it.”
Kim Heechul said, “I didn’t want to admit my body was in pain. I thought I could overcome it, and now it’s been 10 years. I also didn’t tell my fans because I didn’t want them to feel sad hearing that their oppa had a disability grade.”
His mother recalled the painful time, “Even now, it brings tears to my eyes. It’s better now, but when he performed on stage, his legs hurt so much. His bones were crushed, and his femur was damaged, so they had to put in metal rods.”
She added, “The doctor said he wouldn’t be able to dance again, but after surgery, he could. Still, the pain made it difficult for him.”
Meanwhile, the shaman concluded with a positive outlook, saying, “Kim Heechul will live a long life because he survived a near-death experience.”