Comedian Sung Hyun-joo recounts late son’s 1,000 days unconscious
In short
Comedian Sung Hyun-joo said on the YouTube channel 짠한형 신동엽 that her first son, born in 2014, had an accident at age five and died at eight after about 1,000 days unconscious. She said he died on Christmas Day and that she closed his eyes herself at the morgue, and thanked her KBS 22nd-class comedian colleagues who attended the funeral. She also said she gave birth to a second daughter last year and published a book titled 너의 안부.
Read the full story 2 min read
Comedian Sung Hyun-joo appeared on the YouTube channel 짠한형 신동엽, in an episode published on October 5, and spoke about her first son, whom she lost. According to Maeil Business and Hankook Ilbo, she said her son was born in 2014, had an accident at age five and died at age eight, after spending about 1,000 days unconscious. She said he died on Christmas Day, after all medication was stopped. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
She described the day of his death and the funeral. She said the time between the hospital room and the morgue was short, that she closed her son’s eyes for the last time and that when she turned around her KBS 22nd-class colleagues were standing behind her in long black padded coats. She said her colleagues came quietly throughout the funeral, and that on the day of the funeral procession they arrived before dawn and bowed as the car left. She said she decided then that she would spend her life repaying them. [ 3 , 4 ]
She said she had not told this story to her colleagues before and had hidden it during that period because she did not want to expose it. Hankook Ilbo reported that she has published a book titled 너의 안부, which she said is about the people she met while caring for her son and about the people who kept her going. She said that although she had not gained wealth and fame as a comedian, having good friends made her glad she chose the profession. [ 3 , 4 ]
Maeil Business and Hankook Ilbo also reported that she married in 2011, gave birth to a second daughter last year — Hankook Ilbo said in September — after in-vitro treatment, and that her second daughter’s first-birthday party was held with Yang Sang-guk and Heo Kyung-hwan as masters of ceremonies and with her colleagues present. She asked to be included in gatherings beyond her own class. [ 3 , 4 ]
The documents differ on the timeline of the loss: both Maeil Business and Hankook Ilbo also state that she sent her son away in 2020, while quoting her as saying he was born in 2014, had an accident at five and died at eight. Chosun Ilbo’s shorter report refers to a five-year-old son and the accident. Newsis headlined the account, referring to an eight-year-old son and 1,000 days unconscious, but its article text concerns a police investigation into hacking at financial firms and does not mention her. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Why it matters
The story is a personal account of bereavement and of support from colleagues, told on a Korean YouTube talk show, and it has circulated mainly among entertainment audiences. The documents give no basis for wider consequences beyond the attention the account received in national daily coverage.
Key facts
- Comedian Sung Hyun-joo spoke about her late first son on the YouTube channel 짠한형 신동엽, in an episode published on October 5. [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
- She said her son was born in 2014, had an accident at age five and died at age eight. [ 3 , 4 ]
- She said her son spent about 1,000 days unconscious and died on Christmas Day. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- She said she closed her son’s eyes at the morgue and then saw her KBS 22nd-class colleagues standing behind her in black padded coats. [ 3 , 4 ]
- KBS 22nd open-recruitment comedians, including Park Sung-kwang, Heo Kyung-hwan, Yang Sang-guk, Song Jun-geun and Jang Hyo-in, appeared in the video. [ 3 ]
- She said she married in 2011 and gave birth to a second daughter last year after in-vitro treatment. [ 3 , 4 ]
- She published a book titled 너의 안부, which she said was about the people she met while caring for her son. [ 4 ]
- She said her second daughter’s first-birthday party was held with Yang Sang-guk and Heo Kyung-hwan as masters of ceremonies and with her colleagues attending. [ 3 , 4 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Sung Hyun-joo discussed the loss of her first son on the YouTube channel 짠한형 신동엽, in an episode published on October 5. [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
- She said her son was unconscious for about 1,000 days. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Members of the KBS 22nd open-recruitment comedian class appeared on the show and supported her during that period. [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
- She said she gave birth to a second daughter last year. [ 3 , 4 ]
Still unclear
- The dates of her son’s accident and death. Maeil Business and Hankook Ilbo both quote her saying the child was born in 2014, had an accident at five and died at eight, but both also say she lost her son in 2020; the stated ages do not match the stated years.
- The age given for her son when the accident happened and when he died. One headline describes an accident involving a five-year-old son while another describes an eight-year-old son; the article texts say the accident happened at five and that he died at eight.
- Whether the Newsis document’s article text relates to its headline. The Newsis headline is about Sung Hyun-joo, but the article text is about a police investigation into hacking at financial firms and does not mention her.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Chosun Ilbo publishes its report on the October 5 YouTube episode in which Sung Hyun-joo described her son’s accident and 1,000 days unconscious. [ 1 ]
- Newsis publishes a report headlined on Sung Hyun-joo and her son, who it says was unconscious for 1,000 days. [ 2 ]
- Maeil Business publishes her account of the accident at five, the death at eight and the support of her KBS 22nd-class colleagues. [ 3 ]
- Hankook Ilbo publishes her recollection of closing her son’s eyes at the morgue and of her colleagues at the funeral. [ 4 ]