Actor Cha In-pyo reveals panic disorder: 'I still can't fly alone'

Actor Cha In-pyo, widely known by the nickname "model citizen" for his disciplined lifestyle and self-management, has revealed that he suffers from panic disorder.

Cha appeared in a video posted Friday on "Shin Ae-life," a YouTube channel run by his wife, actor Shin Ae-ra, where the couple sat down for an interview.

Cha recalled a trip he made two to three years ago to Istanbul, Turkey, to film a Christianity-themed documentary called "From Paul."

He said a panic attack struck suddenly while he was reviewing his script aboard a flight departing Incheon Airport. "I had flown so many times before and nothing like this had ever happened — it was for the first time," he said.

He went on to describe the sensation as "suddenly being submerged in water, unable to breathe, feeling the water rising." He said that struggling to take a deep breath only made things worse — he could not exhale, and "air just kept rushing in, like a tire being inflated over and over."

Cha said he recognized in the moment that he was having a panic attack, but the episode would not subside. "It was so suffocating I felt like I needed to claw my eyes out to survive. Every organ in my body felt like it needed to escape from this prison — from Cha In-pyo himself," he said.

Feeling he had to get outside to breathe, he then realized he was on a plane and had no way out. "The moment I understood there was absolutely no leaving, no matter what, a wave of despair washed over me," he said.

In that moment, Cha said, he felt that "everything I had left behind on the ground — my bank balance, my home, my beloved wife, my family, everything I had built — none of it had anything to do with me anymore." He added: "I thought, this must be exactly what a person feels when they die. Just before crossing into another world, you feel yourself cut off from everything you have lived for, disconnected from it all, and you go completely alone."

The symptoms eased after about 30 minutes, but flying alone became difficult afterward. He said he still cannot board a plane by himself, and Shin always accompanies him whenever he travels.

Cha said he is working to overcome the disorder. "I haven't tried it yet, but I think I could probably manage a short-haul flight on my own. For long-haul, my wife coming along is what keeps me stable," he said.