Ku Hye-sun recalls shock of having clothes cut off by paramedics after fainting on set

Actress Ku Hye-sun has spoken about the distressing experience of having her clothes removed by paramedics after she lost consciousness on set.

Ku appeared Saturday on MBN's "Kim Joo-ha's Day and Night," where she revealed that a severe food allergy and anaphylactic shock had once forced her to drop out of a drama series midway through production.

"I have food allergies," she said. "Allergic reactions appeared with most foods."

She then described fainting twice while filming. "I collapsed in a bathroom, and a janitor spotted my hair sticking out from under the door and found me," she said. "At that moment, I just desperately hoped no one would open the door."

After being rushed to a hospital, she said the emergency treatment itself came as a shock.

"I had once practiced the role of a paramedic in a CPX," Ku said. "When a patient goes into cardiac arrest, you cut off their clothes with scissors for emergency treatment. They cut off all my clothes too." She said the experience left her thinking, "I cannot die here," and prompted her to reflect on human dignity.

She also recalled a poem that came to mind at the time. "It was about how, when an accident happens, the first thing that crosses your mind is whether you changed your underwear," she said. "I finally understood that poem."

Ku then shared what eventually helped her overcome her allergies.

"People need to eat to live — you can't just go through life not eating," she said. "The food I wanted most before I died was gejang," a dish of raw crabs marinated in soy sauce. She said she prepared allergy medication and an injection, then ate the dish with a "eat it and die" mindset. "Strangely, no symptoms appeared at all. After that, I was able to eat everything normally," she said, drawing surprised reactions from the audience.