Comedian Kim Young-chul left viewers moved as he candidly revealed what has fueled his life—and the heartbreaking past that shaped it.
On the January 21 episode of tvN's variety show You Quiz on the Block, Kim Young-chul appeared as a guest. Host Yoo Jae-suk praised the 10th anniversary of the radio show Kim Young-chul's Power FM, marveling, "Going live at 7 a.m. every day, 365 days a year, is something almost no one can do." Kim replied, "I get excited thinking about chatting tomorrow morning," radiating his signature positivity. He then surprised viewers by sharing his daily routine—waking around 5 a.m. to stretch, read, practice English conversation, work out, and even do skincare.
But behind that discipline lies childhood pain. Kim recalled, "My parents often argued. I was used to my father yelling or flipping the table after drinking," revealing a difficult home life. Remembering the moment he lost his older brother in a car accident during his senior year of high school, he said, "My mother, who always ached because she didn't feel loved by my father, then lost her firstborn. After that, I never wanted to make her sad, not even over the smallest things."
He also started delivering newspapers in upper elementary school to lighten his parents' burden. "While delivering papers, I learned I had to be someone who keeps promises. I think that's what made me who I am today," he reflected.
Kim's "diligence DNA" continued after his debut. Entering broadcasting in 1999 through KBS's open recruitment, he intensely studied top hosts like Yoo Jae-suk, Shin Dong-yup, and Kang Ho-dong—keeping an "MC speech" notebook with detailed analyses. Encouraged by a producer's advice to "find what only you can do," he dove deep into English. Twenty-three years of study paved the way for a unique career: translation work, appearances at overseas festivals, and even challenges on American comedy stages.
Toward the end of the show, a special bond with Yoo Jae-suk was also revealed. Kim remembered when Yoo once told him, "Why aren't you working hard these days?"—a stinging but caring remark. "I was hurt then, but with time I understood what he meant," Kim admitted. In a tearful video letter, he added, "I'm so grateful that at 52, I still have a senior who scolds me," and, "I want to keep walking with you, who scolds me and praises me, just like now."
Turning childhood wounds into discipline and consistency into talent, Kim Young-chul's vivid story—and his deep friendship with Yoo Jae-suk—delivered quiet but powerful emotion.