K-Drama Star Reveals Experience With Partial Paralysis During Filming

Go Joon is opening up about a terrifying health scare that almost ended his acting career.

While filming Tazza: The Hidden Card, Go Joon developed partial paralysis. This happened after two-thirds of the movie. The actor said he got so deep into his role that his immune system suffered. That caused shingles to spread to his brain—rare and dangerous.

Despite the paralysis, Go Joon kept filming.

“My gums bled constantly, causing multiple takes, but the production team accommodated me by filming from one side, allowing us to finish the movie,” he shared.

The facial paralysis caused the muscles on one side of his face to sag. To keep his usual look, the crew used a wire inside his mouth. Doctors told him after seven months, the paralysis would be permanent if untreated.

“I was told I couldn’t act anymore by six of the seven hospitals I visited,” Go Joon said.

Over two and a half years, he received intense acupuncture treatment with 200 needles daily. Miraculously, he fully recovered.

The ordeal changed him.

“I just want to make people laugh,” Go Joon admitted.
“When I am not trying to make others laugh, I have a pretty serious and boring personality.”

His story aired on Channel A’s Table for 4 on December 15 and left fans praising his grit.