TV
Moon Geun-young Opens Up About Overcoming Health Struggles and Embracing a New Lifestyle
On the October 22 episode of tvN's 'You Quiz on the Block,' Moon Geun-young appeared to discuss her acting career, her battle with illness, and how her life has changed since.
Moon Geun-young debuted at the age of 13 in the 1999 film 'On the Road.' She gained fame as the beloved 'Nation's Little Sister' through dramas like 'Autumn in My Heart,' 'Empress Myeongseong,' and 'Wife,' as well as films such as 'A Tale of Two Sisters' and 'My Little Bride.'
She continued to showcase her wide acting range in dramas like 'Painter of the Wind,' 'Cinderella's Sister,' 'Cheongdam-dong Alice,' 'Goddess of Fire,' 'The Village: Achiara's Secret,' and 'Catch the Ghost.' Recently, she made a special appearance in Netflix's 'Hellbound' Season 2 as the leader of the Arrowhead, Oh Ji-won, receiving praise for her bold transformation.
During the show, Moon recalled being diagnosed with acute compartment syndrome in 2017. Initially thought to be a minor injury, her condition rapidly worsened, leading to immediate surgery after being told she might have missed the 'golden time.'
After undergoing four surgeries, she faced a challenging rehabilitation process. She admitted, "I thought I might never act again," and described her determination to rehabilitate her nerves and muscles. About a year later, she regained her abilities and resumed her career.
Her eating habits also changed. She revealed that a doctor's advice to "eat whatever you want to recover quickly" led her to stop restricting her diet. She ended an 18-year-long diet that began at age 13.
The first food she craved was theater popcorn. Moon shared, "Managers would eat popcorn and hot dogs, but I only drank water." She recalled, "For the first time, I ate large caramel and cheese popcorn and thought, 'This is what movies taste like.'"
She also mentioned being surprised by the taste of jjajangmyeon, saying, "I was shocked. 'Is this food really this delicious?'"
Moon explained her past dieting reasons, stating, "I had a lot of muscle mass, which made me weigh more," and was advised to diet to appear more mature with a slimmer face. She admitted, "I ended up starving myself to lose weight."
Moon also discussed her motivation for continuing to donate. She credited her family, recalling her grandmother who chose to give even in difficult times, and her parents who advised, "Use the money you earn meaningfully."
She shared her parents' words, "I don't want to spend this money carelessly. You worked hard overnight to earn it, so you can't spend it like that," which inspired her to start donating. Her cumulative donations are reported to be around 900 million won.
Meanwhile, Moon Geun-young has returned in good health and is actively engaging with audiences through the play 'Orphans,' which runs until the end of next month.
Reporter Na-yeon Cho, Ten Asia nybluebook@tenasia.co.kr
