Actor Baek Il-seop recalls being rushed to hospital after three days without bodily functions

Actor Baek Il-seop has opened up about a recent health scare that left him calling emergency services and being taken to the hospital.

In a preview clip released Wednesday for MBN's talk show "Sokpuri Show Dongchimi," Baek spoke about the health problems he had recently experienced and the changes they brought to his family life.

Baek said multiple surgeries over the years had taken a significant toll on his health.

"I had back and knee surgeries four times in total," he said. "Each time I went under general anesthesia, and apparently that can sometimes leave the kidneys in bad shape afterward."

"All of that built up, and for three straight days I couldn't urinate or have a bowel movement at all," he said. "I live alone, so there was no way I could get there by myself — I called 119 and went to the hospital."

His son was shocked by the sudden health emergency and came to the hospital, where he urged Baek to move closer to him. The episode marked a turning point in their relationship.

"He said let's live together, so I scrambled to find a place nearby," Baek said. "We're not in the same neighborhood exactly — my son lives in Gwangju and I'm in Yongin."

He added that his daughter-in-law stops by occasionally to look after him and that he gets to see his grandson often.

Baek also said his grandson's age has become a way for him to measure how much time has passed since his amicable separation. "I left home on Oct. 15, and my grandson was born on the 18th," he said. "When I ask him how old he is and he says 11, I think to myself, 'So it's been 11 years.'"

Baek married in 1980 and has a son and a daughter. In 2016, he and his wife announced a "졸혼" — a lifestyle arrangement in which a married couple agrees to live separately while remaining legally wed.