Korean actor Kim Woo-bin, star of the Netflix series “Black Knight,” which premiered on May 12, remembered when he was diagnosed with cancer.
It was on May 24, 2017 when it was announced by his agency that the actor was diagnosed with nasopharyngeal cancer, which “occurs in the nasopharynx, which is located behind your nose and above the back of your throat,” according to the Mayo Clinic website.
Korean actor Kim Woo-bin in "Black Knight" (Netflix)
Kim Woo Bin’s cancer was diagnosed when he visited a hospital after he felt abnormal symptoms in his body including nosebleed and sore throat while doing several schedules.
He was filming the movie “Wiretap” when he was diagnosed with the disease. He started getting medication and radiation therapy, and took a break from his career.
A Korean media reported that by the end 2018, Kim Woo Bin underwent three chemotherapy sessions and 35 radiation treatments.
Kim Woo-bin was a guest on the May 10 episode of the TV show “You Quiz on the Block” where he discussed his experience with cancer.
"I am born positive. Everything, in my opinion, has two sides. There's no such thing that is only good or bad. I took it as a vacation sent from above since I used to be so busy that I couldn't take time to rest,” he said, SBS News reported.
He added, "I turned to my family who live two minutes away I've only visited a few times. Back then I thought that was normal."
After he learned that he had cancer, Kim Woo-bin said, "I looked into my mother's eyes to remember its shape. Sadness and delight came and go; it was a complicated feeling. Looking back, the time has left lots of fond memories.”
"When I was diagnosed I left a handwritten letter for my fans. 'I look forward to saying hello to you again with nothing going on.', I wrote, and wished to keep my promise,” he said.
Now, he said, he tries to focus on the present.
"Before, I focused on the future; now I try to give my all to the present. Today I'm grateful to be able to finish shooting 'You Quiz on the Block' without a hitch,” he said.
He added, "When I was sick, so many people prayed for me. They felt for my pain just because they had seen me on screen. I believe their love helped with my recovery. I pray hoping my prayer could reach more people."
According to him, "It is just bad luck. And we just happened to stumble upon it. You know that it is not our fault that this has happened to us. Don't spend your time in regret. Fight on, keeping yourself and your loved ones in mind."
"With all the cheers and prayers you've sent in my heart, I myself will keep praying my prayer for miracles to happen in more families.", Kim Woo Bin's heartfelt words moved the viewers' hearts.
“Black Knight”
Set in 2071, “Black Knight” tells the story of refugee Sa-wol, and the legendary deliveryman 5-8, as he takes on the all-powerful Cheonmyeong Group in a dystopian version of Korea.
Korea is ravaged by extreme air pollution, rendering it uninhabitable without an oxygen mask.
Kim Woo-bin is deliveryman 5-8 who works as a lifeline to mankind, delivering oxygen and other necessities in the daytime. At night, he transforms into a Black Knight with a plot to upend the order created by Cheonmyeong Group, the de facto ruler of the devastated world.
Ryu Seok (Song Seung-heon), the ruthless heir to Cheonmyeong Group, clashes with 5-8 as he defends his vision of a world with no place for the refugees.
Seol-ah (Esom), a major at the Defense Intelligence Command, warns 5-8 that chaos may spiral out of hand, while Sa-wol, a refugee who aspires of becoming a Black Knight, boldly climbs onto 5-8's truck, eager to join the fight.