연합뉴스
| yna@yna.co.kr 2025-11-13 09:17:50
SEOUL, Nov. 13 (Yonhap) -- Comedian Park Mi-sun, known for her trademark red glasses and sharp wit, appeared on television for the first time in about a year following her battle with breast cancer, showing viewers her healthy and spirited self.
Appearing on the Wednesday episode of tvN’s variety show “You Quiz on the Block,” Park said, “I came here to announce that I’ve survived,” as she spoke candidly about her breast cancer diagnosis and long journey through chemotherapy.
With a short haircut after losing her hair during treatment, Park said with a laugh, “I thought people might be shocked by this drastic look, but I came out bravely. Don’t I look like a designer who just came back from studying in Italy?”
The broadcast began with laughter but soon turned into a heartfelt reflection on her difficult fight against cancer.
“I was diagnosed during a full medical check-up last year,” she said. “I had surgery on December 24, Christmas Eve, and when they opened me up, they found that the cancer had spread to my lymph nodes. Once it spreads, you have to undergo chemotherapy. I had 16 rounds of radiation treatment and am currently on medication.”
Park described moments when her health severely declined during treatment. “I was getting treatment to live, but I felt like I was dying,” she said. “My voice disappeared, and peripheral neuropathy caused me to lose sensation in my hands and feet. I broke out in hives, and herpes sores covered my body to the point my skin was raw.”
She said the most dangerous episode was pneumonia. “I got pneumonia during my fourth round of chemotherapy. My fever wouldn’t go down, and I was hospitalized for two weeks. My family was very worried,” she recalled.
Park added that she has now regained much of her strength. “I came on the show today because I wanted to give people hope,” she said. “Breast cancer has a high cure rate if detected early through regular screenings.”
Since her debut in 1988, Park has appeared in countless comedy programs, talk shows, and sitcoms, rarely taking a break. “I’ve always said I only took two months off — one month after my first child, and another after my second,” she said. “I treated broadcasting like an office job rather than a celebrity career. Looking back now, those years feel like they passed in a flash.”
Fans, who had grown familiar with Park over the decades, were concerned when she stepped down from all her shows in December last year. “Rumors spread through acquaintances and became articles. People thought, ‘She must be gravely ill,’ or even, ‘She might be dying,’” she said, explaining that she chose “You Quiz” as her first public appearance after recovering her health.
However, she emphasized that while she has improved, she is not completely cured. “The type of breast cancer I had isn’t one where you can say you’re fully cured. It’s something I’ll have to monitor and manage for the rest of my life,” she said.
The experience, she added, changed her outlook on life. “I didn’t have any major symptoms — just fatigue. I was so tired that I’d doze off during recordings and sleep all the time in the waiting room,” she said. “That was a warning sign, but I ignored it and kept pushing myself.”
“Now, I live differently,” she said with a smile. “I don’t know what next year will bring, so I’m not making plans. I just want to live more freely — to rest when I need to, and let life flow naturally.”
The episode also featured video messages from colleagues and loved ones celebrating her recovery, including actors Sunwoo Yong-nyeo, comedians Lee Kyung-sil and Cho Hye-ryun, and even Park’s daughter, Lee Yu-ri, who made a rare on-camera appearance.
Park has also resumed activity on social media after six months. On the same day, she posted a photo with “You Quiz” hosts Yoo Jae-suk and Jo Se-ho on Instagram, writing, “My one and only schedule this year.” It was her first post since May 28.
“I hesitated a lot about appearing — even debated whether to wear a wig,” she wrote. “But so many people were worried and curious about me, so I gathered my courage and decided to go on air.”
[ⓒ K-VIBE. 무단전재-재배포 금지]