Park Iljoon Opens Up About Mixed Heritage and Loneliness

Singer Park Il-jun confessed to his past being on the brink of life and death due to severe alcoholism, expressing gratitude and apology to his wife. He revealed that he relied on alcohol to the point where he couldn't release new songs for 14 years. After starting a liquor business, he would drink heavily every day due to customers' urging, which led to his esophagus rupturing, a 20-day battle in the ICU, and six major surgeries.

At the time, his wife, Im Kyung-ae, described the situation, saying her husband was so drunk he couldn't feel pain and collapsed, with his abdomen swelling from ascites and severe bleeding that turned the living room into a sea of blood. Although the hospital gave him a 50% chance of survival, his wife recalled praying tearfully for his life.

Park Il-jun said that in the ICU, feeling death was near, he begged for his life, thinking he couldn't leave his family behind. His wife, Im, stated that her husband finally matured then and expressed relief at his current change, having quit drinking and become devoted to his family.

Park Il-jun confessed that his childhood, marked by loneliness as a mixed-race individual, was a background to his alcoholism. He admitted that drinking made him feel as if everything was forgiven. His wife, Im, revealed her affection, noting that while Park Il-jun used to take 30% of his appearance fees as commission or hide money in the past, he has now become so gentle that even when he hides money, he leaves it in plain sight.

Singer Park Il-jun recalled the painful memory of being abandoned by his biological mother around the age of three. He said his biological mother left him at an orphanage and that he was called "Gae-ttong-i" (a derogatory term for a stray dog) because he didn't even have a name at the time. Although he grew up under the care of his adoptive parents, he revealed that he went astray around the age of 15 after learning the secret of his birth.