Comedian Kim Gi-ri says death of colleague Park Ji-seon ended his years of drinking and wandering

Comedian Kim Gi-ri has opened up about what helped him pull out of a troubled period in his life marked by addiction.

A video titled "'Games, alcohol, cigarettes... addictions I couldn't quit' — the turning point that changed Kim Gi-ri's life" was posted Monday on the YouTube channel "Lee Seong-mi's Mot Ganda."

Kim said that before he found faith, he had "borne the fruit of every kind of addiction," reflecting on the years he spent adrift.

"I came to drinking late," he said. "It all started around the time I became a comedian, got popular and started making money." He described praying to God while in the thick of it: "I said, 'God, I'm sorry — I've been drinking too much, smoking and having too much fun lately. But I'm not done yet. I'm going to go have a little more fun and come back. I can't enjoy myself because I'm too conscious of you.' And then I went and had more fun."

What finally stopped his wandering was the death of fellow comedian Park Ji-seon. "I cried a lot when Ji-seon passed," he said.

"Of course many people were heartbroken, but her death made me reflect deeply," he said. "I kept going back and checking the last KakaoTalk messages and conversations I had with her. What did I say? Why didn't I even ask how she was doing back then? I wrestled with those questions and felt a lot of conflict."

Kim said a gathering held in her memory became the turning point. "A few months later, there was a get-together — someone wanted to bring Ji-seon's colleagues together in one place. Pastor Jo Jeong-min was there, and some kind of conversation happened, but I can't remember any of it. I just remember a few people crying and thinking about Ji-seon. I think that moment was my turning point," he said.