Former ZE:A Member Kim Tae-heon Opens Up About Struggles and Search for Missing Sister

Kim Tae-heon has drawn attention by confessing the hardships he has faced in life.

On the 282nd episode of KBS Joy's 'Ask Anything,' which aired on the 2nd, former ZE:A member Kim Tae-heon appeared and revealed that he had to do manual labor due to financial difficulties. He also expressed his desire to find his sister, who has been missing for eight years.

Kim Tae-heon said, "I think I understand why my sister did what she did. I was probably too reserved. Since childhood, I couldn't express myself well, and during my time in the entertainment industry, I didn't even have a cellphone. I couldn't keep in touch and rarely saw her even during holidays."

He speculated, "I was glad I could help her a little, but maybe she left because she felt guilty after her business failed."

Lee Soo-geun asked, "Did your life change after you were discharged from the military?" Kim Tae-heon replied, "Yes," explaining that his sister's disappearance and the halt in his activities completely changed his life.

When Seo Jang-hoon asked what he did after his military discharge, Kim Tae-heon revealed, "My sister also dreamed of becoming an entertainer. She even aspired to be a news anchor. Due to our family's circumstances, she gave up her dream for me."

He continued, "Knowing how grateful I was to her, I couldn't easily give up on being an entertainer. I tried again to keep her dream alive, but there were parts of the broadcast I couldn't participate in. The pandemic also made it difficult to continue my activities."

Kim Tae-heon said, "The boiler at home was cut off, and I faced extreme financial difficulties. If I had saved money after my military discharge, it would have been fine, but that wasn't the case. I had to start doing other jobs to make a living."

He confessed, "At first, I worked as a bar manager for nearly a year. Due to the nature of the job, I had to keep drinking, which affected my health, so I quit and started doing construction site part-time jobs. I worked there for about four months on a recommendation from someone I knew, but the work wasn't consistent. I faced financial difficulties again and started working at a logistics center."

Kim Tae-heon revealed, "Due to the rough nature of the work, I developed a skin disease and had to quit. I couldn't eat properly at the time." He added that he lost 20kg due to repeated financial hardships.

He later started working part-time at a meat restaurant on a friend's recommendation. Kim Tae-heon explained, "I worked hard for 13 hours a day. I thought I needed to learn quickly to move on to the next stage." As a result of his hard work, he was promoted to manager and started a joint venture with a friend who owned a Chinese restaurant.

Lee So-jung, TenAsia Reporter forusojung@tenasia.co.kr