Immortal Songs screen capture

Yoo Yeol looked back on the difficult period of his illness.

The 741st episode of KBS 2TV ‘Immortal Songs’, aired on the 24th, was a special themed ‘Immortal Songs-Artist Yoo Yeol’.

That day, Yoo Yeol, who battled pulmonary fibrosis for ten years and saw his weight drop to as low as 40 kg, said, “It had been progressing since nine years ago, and the May before last I was hospitalized with the flu; from there I spent six months in the ICU. It reached a point where my life was in critical danger,” recounting the difficult moment when he heard the news of his mother’s passing during his illness.

It was reported that Yoo Yeol’s wife told him of his mother’s final moments and said she would be away for two to three days through the funeral. Yoo Yeol expressed gratitude to his wife, who alone saw his mother off on her final journey, and sorrow over not being able to see his mother one last time.

He said, “By grace, I received a lung transplant. My recovery has been good, and I experienced a miracle that was hard for me to imagine,” and added, “I received so much comfort and so many prayers from many people. Above all, I cannot find words to thank the person who donated the lung and their family,” his eyes welling with gratitude.

Shin Dong-yup said that family must have been a help. Yoo Yeol explained, “In rehabilitation and other hard moments, I thought of my wife and son. They were waiting for me ahead. Then I could muster a bit more strength,” and “About two weeks after the surgery, I had a video call with my son.”

Yoo Yeol said, “Until then I hadn’t done it, worried he might be shocked because I was connected to a lot of equipment, but my son spoke very coolly,” and relayed his son’s response: “‘I knew Dad would recover well; I thought you would get fixed up and be fine’.”

Immortal Songs screen capture

Immortal Songs screen capture