South Korean host Kim Jong-kook has revealed more about the illness plaguing him in a YouTube video posted on March 25.
The 49-year-old was recently diagnosed with vestibular neuritis – an inner ear disorder which causes symptoms such as sudden and severe vertigo, dizziness, balance problems, nausea and vomiting.
Recording the vlog from the passenger seat of his car, he explained to his guest, rapper Shorry J: “It’s actually a little hard for me to talk right now too, but I’ve been a bit sick. There’s something called the vestibular organ in people’s ears, which is the organ that helps keep your balance. When you overwork yourself or get stressed, it gets inflamed and you lose your sense of balance.
“The whole world spins around and you really can’t do anything. Personally, I couldn’t eat anything for about two days. I couldn’t even drink water and barely made it through. Even when I lie down, the world keeps spinning.”
He went on to talk about his recent work schedule, where he had flown to four different countries within one month and worked on end, ultimately leading to his illness.
Remarking that although moving around was “really painful and hard”, he still must stay active in order for his vestibular organ to go through a restorative process and “find its place again”.
In the vlog, Jong-kook also pointed out that his manager Seok-bin was driving his car as it was not advisable for him to do it with his condition.
His illness first came to light in an episode of South Korean variety show Running Man on March 15, where he made his entrance with co-host Haha supporting him onto the set.
Without disclosing the name of his condition, he stated: “I’ve contracted a strange illness I’d never heard of before.”
Yoo Jae-suk commented: “Even when he’s told to rest when he’s unwell, he doesn’t take a break.”
In response, Jong-kook shared that when he told his mother about being sick, she still advised him to go to work.
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kristy.chua@asiaone.com
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