'Choked up' Park Jae-hong returns to live broadcast 4 weeks after stroke diagnosis... "I am truly sorry for causing worry" ('One-on-One Match')
Announcer Park Jae-hong (50) returned to live broadcasting about four weeks after collapsing from a stroke. He expressed his gratitude, choking up with emotion at the support from listeners who had waited for a month.
Announcer Park of CBS Radio's "Park Jae-hong's Showdown" (hereinafter "Showdown") returned to live broadcasting on the 17th. He returned to broadcasting after undergoing about four weeks of treatment and rehabilitation, including hospitalization in the intensive care unit, following his collapse while exercising on the track on the 22nd of last month.
Announcer Park stated, "I have finally returned to live broadcasting after finishing my medical leave. My attending physician in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine wrote a medical opinion stating that it is okay to do broadcasting while sitting down, so I am cautiously greeting you."
He continued, "Now that I have returned, the studio and the production staff are exactly the same. The familiar names appearing in the YouTube comment section are also the same." He added, "Thank you to all the viewers and loyal listeners who waited for a month. I was able to return thanks to all of you."
Announcer Park, who hosted the live broadcast for about an hour and a half, once again expressed his gratitude to the listeners at the end of the show.
He said, "It was my first broadcast since returning after a month, and my loyal listeners sent me many real-time messages of support. I sent a short video from my hospital bed, and the warm comments from over 3,000 people gave me great strength."
He continued, "I am watching the video again today, and I feel truly sorry that you are worrying about me when I should be the one worrying about you. I will make sure to take good care of my health from now on," showing signs of becoming emotional.
Earlier, Announcer Park personally revealed his battle with illness on his Facebook page on the 1st. He stated that he collapsed while exercising alone on the track at the university's athletic field around 10 p.m. on the 22nd of last month, and after his family called 119, he was transported to the hospital and diagnosed with a cerebral infarction.
Fortunately, major functions such as language and memory have now recovered. Announcer Park stated, "I am truly grateful that, thanks to the dedicated treatment by the medical staff at Samsung Seoul Hospital, my language skills, memory, and senses in both hands have now fully recovered, and I am currently in the rehabilitation phase to restore my motor functions."
He also explained the reason for disclosing his battle with illness. He said, "Since I have never been absent for more than a week while hosting 'One-on-One Showdown' for five years, I am providing this specific details to prevent unnecessary speculation regarding this unusually long absence of about 20 days."
Meanwhile, Announcer Park joined CBS as a 24th-generation announcer through open recruitment in 2003 and has been active as the anchor of 'Park Jae-hong's One-on-One Showdown' since 2021.