Comedian Lee Sang-un, well known for his character "Corporal Catfish," opened up about the pain of battling colon cancer and going through divorce proceedings while living as a "goose dad."
On the episode of MBN's "While You Were Sick" aired on the 18th, Lee appeared to look back on his life from his peak years through his battle with colon cancer to his life after divorce.
In that day's broadcast, Lee recalled his peak period when he enjoyed popularity as "Corporal Catfish."
Lee said, "My peak was from 1988 to around 1994. I worked at nightclubs and on late-night stages. At my busiest, I did about 10 shows a day." He added, "I performed for about 30 minutes each time I went on stage. Moving in 30-minute increments, I held events until 4:30 a.m."
He said, "I earned about 100 million won a month. At the time, a 25-pyeong apartment cost around 40 million won. I could buy more than two apartments a month. I earned that way for three years."
Lee, who was enjoying his peak, revealed that he began living as a "goose dad" by sending his children to study abroad in the United States.
However, while his broadcasting work decreased due to generational turnover in the comedy industry, the burden of tuition fees continued. Lee said, "I thought I would earn well for my whole life, but opportunities for broadcasting gradually decreased." He added, "It was worse than a leaky pot. One day I looked and saw that my bank account balance was negative," sharing his difficulties at the time.
Afterward, Lee worked as a history and economics lecturer, using the money he earned to support his children's studies abroad. However, following economic difficulties, health issues and a family crisis also arrived.
Lee said, "A fatal incident occurred in my life during my peak period," adding, "Unfortunately, a red light came on in my life." He continued, "I should have known sooner, but first I focused on earning money, and my second goal was sending remittances. My body felt very bad. It hurt so much. After finishing work, I went to the hospital and received a diagnosis of colon cancer."
He confessed, "The physical aspect was significant, but the mental aspect was the biggest. I got divorced at that time."
Lee revealed that he went through a difficult time, suffering from a ruptured gallbladder in addition to his battle with colon cancer, followed by divorce proceedings. He said, "The hardest part was that while other people have family come with them when they go to the hospital, I had to go alone. When I got home, no one was there."
In particular, he revealed that words he heard in the recovery room after his colon cancer surgery left a deep wound. He said, "When my consciousness was returning in the recovery room, I heard someone say, 'This person earns well and sent his kids to study abroad, so why is he lying here alone?' They probably thought I was unconscious when they said it, but it was a shock like being hit with an iron hammer. I was lonely and had no family, and that comment made things very difficult for me."
Lee said that although he was angry in the early stages of his divorce, he gradually came to accept it.
He said, "In the early days of the divorce, I thought, 'I worked hard and sent money, and I didn't do anything wrong, so why did this happen?'" He added, "My kids are in the U.S., so I had to send money, but they told me I needed surgery. What was I to do? The pain of the surgery was less than the pain of wondering, 'What will happen to (the kids)?'"
He continued, "Once that period passes, you give up. You have to endure it well. If you endure it, good things happen. If you get through that stage well, it becomes positive. I thought, 'I can't just stay like this. I need to earn money and recover my health quickly.'" He added, "Now there is peace. It is forgiveness, understanding, and compromise. Now I think I am grateful. After many twists and turns, I got a good result."
Regarding his current health status, Lee revealed that he has been declared cured of colon cancer. He said, "I am working harder than anyone else to avoid recurrence after surgery and live a healthy life."
Lee debuted in 1981 with a bronze award at the 1st MBC Comedian Contest. He transferred to KBS and gained popularity by appearing as "Catfish-terius" in "Nero 25:00" on "Show Video Jockey" and as "Corporal Catfish" in "Stop That Move" on "Humor No. 1."
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