{"id":259220,"date":"2026-05-03T00:11:47","date_gmt":"2026-05-02T15:11:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tenbizt.com\/en\/news\/uncategorized\/2026\/05\/03\/kim-tae-won-the-resilient-leader-of-buhwal-returns-after-1-5-years-of-health-struggles\/"},"modified":"2026-05-03T00:11:47","modified_gmt":"2026-05-02T15:11:47","slug":"kim-tae-won-the-resilient-leader-of-buhwal-returns-after-1-5-years-of-health-struggles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tenbizt.com\/en\/news\/music\/2026\/05\/03\/kim-tae-won-the-resilient-leader-of-buhwal-returns-after-1-5-years-of-health-struggles\/","title":{"rendered":"Kim Tae-won: The Resilient Leader of ‘Buhwal’ Returns After 1.5 Years of Health Struggles"},"content":{"rendered":"

Translation result.<\/p>\n


\n<\/figure>\n

Kim Tae-won (61), a living legend of Korean rock and the leader of Boohwal, appeared before cameras looking gaunt after an 18-month absence, prompting concern among fans.<\/p>\n

\n
\n Kim Tae-won, leader of Boohwal \/ YouTube ‘Kim Tae-won Class’
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Hospitalized four times… the story behind an 18-month gap<\/h3>\n

On April 24, the YouTube channel \\”Kim Tae-won Class\\” posted a video titled \\”My Daughter\u2019s Wedding, a Father\u2019s Last… and Boohwal.\\” In the clip, Kim announced Season 4 of the channel and offered a rare public greeting.<\/p>\n

He told viewers, \\”I missed you all, so I’m back. Thank you for staying loyal all this time.\\”<\/p>\n

Asked why he\u2019d been absent, he hesitated and then spoke plainly: \\”It’s awkward to say, but I was hospitalized four times. I felt guilty about Boohwal’s 14th album and wanted to make amends. I wanted to give that back to our fans.\\” He added that the guilt over breaking promises to fans had weighed heavily on him.<\/p>\n

He reassured listeners: \\”I’m still here. I wanted to make new music and share it, but I broke too many promises and had to step back. Think of it as a pause. As long as Boohwal exists, Kim Tae-won Class won’t stop. Don’t worry.\\”<\/p>\n

\n
\n Kim Tae-won says he was hospitalized four times during the hiatus \/ YouTube ‘Kim Tae-won Class’
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

He went to the ER the day before the Shin Hae-chul memorial show… colleagues sounded the alarm<\/h3>\n

In January, Boohwal vocalist Park Wan-kyu appeared on tvN STORY’s \\”What Good Is Leaving\\” and updated viewers on Kim’s condition. Park said, \\”It didn’t make the news, but it was risky. Tae-won collapsed twice this year. He was suddenly rushed to the ER the day before the 11th anniversary memorial for the late Shin Hae-chul.\\”<\/p>\n

Shin Hae-chul was a close friend and a central figure in Korean rock. That Kim was taken to the emergency room on the eve of the memorial underscored the seriousness of his condition. Park described Kim\u2019s state as troubling and said, \\”He keeps saying, ‘I came back without crossing that river.’ Every time I hear that, it breaks my heart.\\”<\/p>\n

\n
\n Singer Kim Tae-won \/ News1
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

My father’s death hit me hard… physical pain and emotional wounds<\/h3>\n

Kim’s struggles were not limited to illness. After his father\u2019s death last year, he said, \\”My father’s passing was a tremendous shock. As I live and remember him, I’ll do my best to create music that comforts others who had similar fathers.\\”<\/p>\n

The last 18 months brought both physical illness and emotional pain. He acknowledged, \\”I have a strange habit of holding onto painful memories more than the good ones,\\” and said he plans to channel his grief into music.<\/p>\n

\n
\n Kim Tae-won opened up about health problems and his father’s death \/ YouTube ‘Kim Tae-won Class’
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Stomach cancer, sepsis, alcohol shock… a long battle with illness<\/h3>\n

Kim’s health decline did not begin recently. He has fought various illnesses over decades.<\/p>\n

During a comprehensive checkup on KBS’s \\”Qualifications of Men\\” in 2011, doctors discovered early-stage stomach cancer and he underwent surgery. In 2019, complications flared again after a 2016 bout of sepsis, leaving lasting aftereffects.<\/p>\n

He has previously said he nearly died three times because of alcohol. On one occasion, he collapsed onstage from sepsis and suffered alcohol shock, falling unconscious with foam at his mouth during a performance.<\/p>\n

Kim began drinking heavily after the death of Boohwal’s third lead vocalist, the late Kim Jae-gi, who died in 1993. That sudden loss left a deep wound and contributed to years of alcohol dependence.<\/p>\n

He surprised many by revealing he has been sober for six years to protect his health. \\”I used to never finish a movie I liked, but after I stopped drinking, movies became so enjoyable. I’m happier,\\” he said.<\/p>\n

\n
\n Kim Tae-won, leader of Boohwal, celebrating the band’s 40th year \/ YouTube ‘Kim Tae-won Class’
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

His daughter is happy in the U.S., and he’s proud of his son-in-law<\/h3>\n

Amid the worrying updates, Kim shared a warm family note: his daughter, who married an American last year, is doing well. \\”My daughter is doing well in the U.S. Maybe I’m lucky with a son-in-law\u2014we get along. He has a mature soul,\\” Kim said.<\/p>\n

When Kim added, \\”Money isn’t everything\u2014having that is enough,\\” it sounded like the candid wish of a 61-year-old father who has weathered many ups and downs. Viewers who recall his earlier, public friction with his daughter on TV will likely find the current family harmony especially welcome.<\/p>\n