Park Mi-sun: Breast Cancer Spread, 16 Rounds of Chemotherapy, and 'Now? I Couldn't Do It'

Park Mi-sun spoke candidly about her breast cancer treatment, saying the disease had spread, that she underwent 16 rounds of chemotherapy, and that if she were asked to go through the same process again now, she does not think she could do it.

On the June 2 broadcast of MBN entertainment program "Precious Families in Other People's Homes," Park Mi-sun and Lee Bong-won, a couple married for 34 years, revealed parts of their everyday life.

The two are currently living separately, with Park in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province, and Lee in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province. Lee has been running a restaurant in Cheonan, and for eight years the couple has maintained a weekend-marriage arrangement.

Park, who was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer in December 2024 and stopped her broadcasting activities, recalled that the cancer was found through a health checkup. She said she received a call from the hospital while she was in the middle of recording a show. Although the hospital did not explain the situation precisely over the phone, she said she could sense that something was wrong, and it became difficult to focus on the recording.

After going to the hospital and confirming the diagnosis, Park said the first words she spoke were, "Then what am I supposed to do now? I have broadcast schedules piled up." Looking back, she admitted that her first concern was her work schedule rather than herself.

Park said she initially thought she would only need surgery and radiation therapy. But when the surgery was performed, doctors found that the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes, so she had to receive chemotherapy and radiation treatment together. Describing that period, she said it felt as if she spent one week nearly dead, then barely came back to life for another week, only to start again.

She said she received chemotherapy 16 times. Although the treatment was meant to help her survive, Park remembered feeling as though it might kill her. She said she did it because it had to be done, and endured because she had to endure, but if someone told her to do it again, she does not think she could.

Lee Bong-won said no one could have had a harder time than the person actually going through the illness. He said those who know about the treatment understand how painful it can be, with hair loss and severe pain making irritability inevitable. Even so, he said Park tried hard to receive treatment and faced it with a positive mindset, and that her condition has improved a great deal.

Park also shared an update on her current health. She said the treatment itself is completely finished, but she continues to take medication and undergo regular examinations. She added that she cannot say she is exactly the same as before, and estimated that her physical strength has recovered to about 50 to 60 percent. She said she is managing her health carefully.

Park informed Lee of the cancer by text message, but she said she did not receive a reply. Speaking about how he felt when he received the message, Lee said he was flustered because there had been no warning symptoms. Since the cancer was discovered while she had gone in for a different examination, he said it was an enormous relief that it had at least been found early.

Lee said the next thought that came to him was that he needed to care for her. He decided he should go with her to the hospital no matter what, and said he accompanied her once every two weeks. He also expressed gratitude to their daughter, saying she had gone through a lot.

Park likewise thanked their daughter. She said her daughter believed she had to get herself together in order to care for her mother, so she steadied herself and researched the illness extensively. Park said that, by contrast, she herself had largely let go and left things in others' hands.