Leeteuk, leader of Super Junior knows what pain is. Despite his illustrious career and popularity, his life is one that has experienced countless tragedies. We take a look at his life experiences to better understand how resilience is forged.
Coming from a troubled family, Leeteuk grew up seeing his parents fight and was constantly hit by his father. Just two years after debut in 2007, he was involved in a traffic accident. Super Junior was on their way back from a radio show when the van that they were in skidded and turned turtle. Leeteuk suffered serious injuries with shards of glass embedded in his back and above his eye. He receive 170 stitches and was forced to take time off performing to recover.
In 2014, when Leeteuk was serving the army, tragedy struck his family. Leeteuk’s father who was in deep financial problems and overtly stressed with having to look after the elderly parents had taken their lives as well as his. Leeteuk became saddled with his father’s debt of $5 billion won and had to sell his car and accept every possible job to pay off the debt.
At that same time, he was diagnosed with depression and struggled very hard in the army.
In 2017, he lost his good friend Jonghyun of Shinee to suicide. He was deeply broken by that lost. He shared: “My heart aches from feeling sorry that I couldn’t pull you up more when you reached out and asked for me to grab your hand. The weight was too heavy to say that it’s something celebrities must endure, and the image of you being caught in a tight situation only hurts my heart even more.”
In 2018, he had to cancel his schedules due to gall-bladder inflammation that needed emergency surgery. He lost 10 kg of weight as a result of that.
However, despite the disappointment, pain and never ending struggle, Leeteuk used his fame as a source of encouragement and strength for his fans and those who are suffering from mental conditions. He started a Youtube channel ‘Kiss the Youtube’ to talk to people about their problems. Perhaps it takes one to suffer such pain in order to truly know how to comfort others who are also on that same journey.
While Super Juniors latest single, The Road – Winter for Spring, seem like a song about romantic love, it could well be a song about our journey through difficult seasons in life. It takes a person like Leeteuk, who has fought countless battles in life to know that every season has a beginning and an end. Letting go of the feelings is key to moving on.
It took Leeteuk a lot of experiences in life to build the grit that we recognise in him. Here are some articles to read about what makes a person resilient.
Check out Winter for Spring video here
What about you?
Have you been feeling low, lack energy and motivation for a long time? Here’s more information about depression.
Have you lost someone dear to you or know of someone like that? Young people may not grief like older adults. Find out more about grief and bereavement here.
Do you suspect that your friend or loved one has suicidal thoughts? Here is what you can do to prevent suicide.
If you are thinking of ending your life, please delay your plans and give life another chance. Please do not believe the thoughts of wanting to die, your life matters and there are people who can help you.
Are you feeling the feels and not sure what to do? Try our Mood Check to find out what to do
