Popular TV personality Jun Hyun Moo has opened up about the extreme lengths he once considered going to after facing harsh criticism about his appearance early in his broadcasting career. Speaking on the October 25 broadcast of KBS 2TV’s Boss in the Mirror, he revealed that relentless malicious comments left him seriously considering surgery he would now never pursue.
Jun Hyun Moo (Credits: Koreaboo)
Jun Hyun Moo said he struggled early on with a public image of being “unlikable,” and that the criticism went far beyond his work on screen. Even his body became a target, with commenters mocking his appearance in cruel and personal terms.
He recalled that the very first hate comment he received attacked his appearance in those terms, and that other commenters piled on with jokes about his body. Although the comments might sound absurd from the outside, Jun Hyun Moo admitted they affected him deeply enough that he actually looked into having surgery.
Jun Hyun Moo Boss in the Mirror appearance confession
Jun Hyun Moo revealed that he even consulted a doctor about the procedure, only to be advised against it because of the risk of excessive bleeding. The doctor’s warning stopped the idea in its tracks, but the fact that he had gone that far shows how much the criticism had worn him down.
He explained that the relentless comments eventually pushed him to become much more conscious of his appearance. No matter how hard he worked on broadcasts, he said, people who did not even know him kept criticising his looks. That pressure led him to start taking care of himself in other ways, including hair removal treatments and other procedures.
He added that he felt compelled to change because people were openly saying they did not want to see him on television — a painful admission for someone whose career depends on being in front of an audience.
Studio reaction to Jun Hyun Moo’s confession
His confession stunned those in the studio. Close friend Um Ji In admitted she had no idea just how seriously he had considered surgery, saying she knew he had struggled but did not realise he had worried about it to that extent. Fellow television personality Kim Sook sympathised, noting how much it must have affected him for him to actually look into surgery, and that they can laugh about it now only because it is all in the past.
Jun Hyun Moo has since become one of South Korea’s most recognisable television personalities. His story is a reminder that even the most confident-seeming stars once felt the full weight of anonymous criticism — and that the comments people dismiss as jokes can stay with someone for years.
Source: Koreaboo — read the full story there.
