Choi Sung Won Shares Full Recovery After Two Battles With Leukemia

Choi Sung Won has shared that he is fully recovered after two battles with acute leukemia, marking a deeply personal milestone for the actor known to many viewers as No Eul in the hit drama Reply 1988. Speaking on a recent television program, he looked back on the illness that repeatedly put his career on hold and the determination that brought him back to acting.

Choi rose to wider recognition through Reply 1988, where his portrayal of No Eul became part of the ensemble that helped make the drama a lasting favorite. At a moment when his profile was growing, he was diagnosed with acute leukemia and stepped away from public activities to focus on treatment.

A Career Interrupted by Illness

His return was not the end of that difficult period. After recovering and resuming work, Choi later experienced a relapse, requiring him to pause his career again. He described the second diagnosis as especially painful, explaining that it led him to question whether acting could still be his path.

The actor’s account offered a candid view of how a serious health condition can reshape professional plans as well as a person’s sense of direction. Rather than presenting recovery as a simple finish line, he recalled the physical and emotional strain of treatment and the uncertainty that accompanied a second interruption.

His experience also highlights the irregular rhythm that recovery can impose on a working performer. Productions, auditions and public appearances are normally planned around a busy calendar, but treatment required Choi to put those expectations aside. His remarks focused on the human challenge of returning to a vocation after time away, rather than on any single role or project.

Yet Choi said his connection to performance remained present even in the hardest moments. While receiving care, he found himself observing the expressions and emotions of people around him. That instinct, he explained, helped clarify that acting was not something he wanted to leave behind.

Recovery and a Renewed Sense of Purpose

Choi’s announcement that he has now been declared fully recovered was met with warm support in the studio. The news carries particular weight because it follows not one, but two periods of illness that kept him away from the work he loves.

A close friend, actor Lim Chul Soo, also spoke about the significance of the milestone, sharing how moved he was to hear that Choi had completed his recovery. Their exchange underscored the role that friendship and encouragement can play when someone is navigating a long and demanding health journey.

For audiences who remember Choi from Reply 1988 and his later work, the update is a hopeful one. It places the focus not only on his return to health, but also on his continuing ambition as an actor. Choi’s reflections suggest that the interruptions to his career have strengthened rather than diminished his commitment to storytelling.

Looking Ahead

Choi did not frame the moment as a final chapter, but as a chance to move forward with greater clarity. His experience illustrates the reality that recovery can involve both relief and a reassessment of what matters most. With his health restored, he is again able to pursue acting with the sense of purpose he says never disappeared.

His journey has resonated because it connects a familiar face from Korean television with a universal experience of resilience. His message is not a medical lesson or a promise that every path looks alike; it is a personal reflection on persistence. As Choi returns to his craft, his full-recovery announcement stands as an encouraging personal and professional turning point.