South Korean singer Nam Woo-hyun of K-pop boyband INFINITE has opened up about his “rare” cancer diagnosis.
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Nam Woo-hyun revealed his gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) diagnosis during a new interview with The Korea Times, where he opened up about it being an “extremely rare form of cancer” and how it faced it.
“In my case, the urgency of surgery was non-negotiable, so I quickly held my fan events and performances in January and February before undergoing surgery [in April],” the singer said, before revealing that “the scale [of the cancer] was more extensive than I had thought”.
“After the surgery, I had to refrain from drinking water for almost three weeks and got a 20-centimeter scar on my stomach,” the INFINITE singer added. “I even had to attach a blood bag.”
However, Nam Woo-hyun also touched on how his time in the hospital, in particular his interactions with the “caring” nurses, had inspired him “to recover, release new music and pursue my passion as a singer”.
“I feel as if I were reborn after the surgery,” he said. “My thoughts have deepened and I’ve achieved musical maturity. My first [musical release] following my battle against cancer encapsulates much of this journey.”
However, the singer also noted that he “might not be able to regain my past singing ability” post-surgery and currently suffered from “breathing problems when I perform”.
Nam Woo-hyun will release his first full-length studio album, titled ‘Whitree’, later today (November 28) at 6pm KST. The singer will also hold solo concerts in Seoul on December 30 and 31.
Earlier this year, INFINITE made their long-awaited return with the mini-album ’13egin’, featuring the single ”New Emotions’. The project was the group’s first release since their 2019 single ‘Clock’.
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