Jung Hyung-don Reveals Ongoing Struggle with Anxiety Disorder: Still Taking Medication After 11 Years

Korean entertainer Jung Hyung-dong has personally revealed that he continues to undergo treatment for anxiety disorder. A figure who once dominated the variety show scene with his unrestrained wit and sharp-tongued humor, Jung reflected on his past decision to suspend broadcasting activities during the height of his fame due to anxiety, admitting, “I am still taking medication even now.”

During his appearance on the YouTube channel ‘Today from Hwang Je-seong’ on the 11th, Jung shared updates regarding his current life and broadcasting activities while conversing with comedian Hwang Je-seong. While maintaining his signature playful banter and assertive conversational style, the atmosphere shifted when the topic turned to programs he had previously appeared in, prompting him to mention his anxiety disorder.

When Hwang Je-seong asked about his recent status, Jung replied, “I’m living well,” but jokingly added, “I wonder if I’ve reached a level where I have to show up whenever you call me.” He even used the situation of appearing as Hwang’s junior as a comedic subject, stating, “I couldn’t even tell my kids that Dad was going to work. I just told them I was going out to get some fresh air.”

When Hwang Je-seong countered by claiming Jung often cuts off calls while playing games, Jung quipped, “Since I don’t have much work, I play games as much as a professional athlete does.” This self-deprecating remark about his recent broadcasting workload was delivered through a joke about being at a professional level in games like ‘Battleground’ and ‘Overwatch.’

However, the laughter-filled conversation took a heavy turn following a mention of the variety show ‘Please Take Care of My Refrigerator.’ When Hwang Je-seong asked about the current state of the program, Jung responded by asking, “Are you asking if I got fired?” before adding, “It’s a heartbreaking story, but you’re asking so brightly,” recalling the past.

Jung stated, “Didn't I quit broadcasting because of my anxiety disorder when I was at the peak of my career?” He then revealed, “I am still taking medication even now,” confirming through his own words that he continues to receive treatment for his anxiety disorder.

This statement is noteworthy because Jung Hyung-don's anxiety disorder was not merely a temporary dip in physical condition, but a major variable that caused him to change his professional direction several times. In November 2015, as his anxiety symptoms worsened, he completely withdrew from the programs he was appearing in. At the time, his agency explained that his “anxiety disorder, which had been suffered from for a long time, had recently intensified.”

At that time, Jung was one of the most active figures in the variety industry, serving as a core member of MBC’s ‘Infinite Challenge’ and a host for JTBC’s ‘Please Take Care of My Refrigerator.’ In particular, since he was a central pillar of ‘Infinite Challenge’ alongside Yoo Jae-suk, Park Myung-soo, Jung Jun-ha, Haha, and Kwanghee, his departure was perceived as a major event in the Korean variety scene beyond just an individual absence. Indeed, the production team of ‘Infinite Challenge’ announced his temporary hiatus while citing his health issues.

His departure from broadcasting also clearly highlighted the gap between his public image as a ‘funny person’ and his actual life. While Jung was someone who utilized more aggressive jokes and persistently probed the weaknesses of others on screen, he was actually fighting anxiety within his own inner self.

After a hiatus of approximately 10 months, Jung returned to broadcasting in September 2016 through the program ‘Weekly Idol.’ Although he stood before the microphone again after treatment and rest, the anxiety disorder had not become a thing of the past.

In November 2020, his anxiety symptoms worsened again, leading him to once more completely suspend his broadcasting activities. At the time, his agency stated that while Jung had a strong will to continue broadcasting, they decided on a hiatus after sufficient consultation with him, prioritizing his health. This demonstrates that anxiety disorder was a long-term issue that required repetitive management in his career.

About a month later, in December 2020, Jung announced his return to broadcasting. The agency explained that he focused on treatment while spending time with his family, and that his health had improved through consistent treatment. The important part was not just the return itself, but the approach of “returning to broadcasting while continuing treatment.”

Jung has also previously shared his experiences and tendencies regarding how he experiences anxiety. On the tvN program ‘Secret Garden’ in 2018, he described himself as having a “glass-like personality” and confessed that he had become afraid of strangers following a specific incident, noting that excessive worries about death continued following an experience where an aircraft shook during a flight. While it is impossible to pinpoint the cause of his anxiety to a single event based on his explanation at the time, it shows that he has been experiencing anxiety symptoms for a long time.

What draws even more attention in this recent confession is that Jung did not describe his condition too tragically. When Hwang Je-seong offered comfort by suggesting it was a relief that there were treatment methods available, Jung responded with another joke to lower the emotional temperature of the conversation. He spoke of anxiety disorder not as a stigma to be erased from his life, but as a part of reality that he manages and lives with.

For Jung, variety shows have long been both his livelihood and the space where he proves his existence. After gaining fame through ‘Infinite Challenge,’ he built a unique character through various programs such as ‘Please Take Care of My Refrigerator’ and ‘Weekly Idol,’ and his conversational style, which fluctuates between ‘japdori’ (pressuring others) and self-deprecation, became his signature comedic grammar.

However, this statement serves as a reminder that another layer of life exists behind that comedic grammar. The health issues of broadcasters are often consumed only as results like “hiatus” or “return,” but for the person involved, the period of resting from broadcasting is a time of continuous treatment, self-management, and adjusting the balance between family and daily life.

In particular, mental health issues are difficult to explain through a simple dichotomy of complete recovery versus relapse. Jung Hyung-don also underwent a hiatus in 2015 and another in 2020, yet he returned to broadcasting and, as he expressed, continues medication treatment. This shows that a return to broadcasting does not necessarily mean the complete disappearance of symptoms.

The way Jung Hyung-don brought up his anxiety disorder in this broadcast is quite different from the past. While anxiety disorder was once the decisive reason that forced him to stop his activities, it has now become a subject he explains relatively calmly amidst jokes and everyday conversation.

Ultimately, Jung's recent confession is less a success story of “overcoming anxiety disorder” and more a continuous record of a broadcaster continuing his daily life while carrying the symptoms. The fact that a person whose profession is laughter can now speak without completely hiding his anxiety itself shows another change that has occurred between his departure from the broadcasting industry 11 years ago and now.