Actor Choi Chul-ho, who once worked delivery shifts for W3.4m a month, set for TV comeback after 7 years

Actor Choi Chul-ho, 56, who sparked controversy after assaulting a fellow actor while drunk, is set to return to television after seven years.

Choi appeared in a video published Thursday on the YouTube channel "What Are You Up To These Days," hosted by actor Jo Sang-gu, where he reflected on his past and expressed remorse.

Choi rose to fame playing Sinmajeok in the 2002 SBS drama series "Rustic Period" and reached the peak of his popularity with the 2009 MBC series "Queen of Housewives."

"The measure of an actor who has truly made it is landing commercials," he said. "While filming 'Queen of Housewives,' I shot six or seven ads and made real money for the first time."

But his drinking became his undoing. "I wasn't an alcoholic, but I did have a bad habit when drunk," he said. "In everyday life I find it hard to say anything unpleasant to people, but alcohol turns me 180 degrees."

He then brought up an assault incident involving a junior female colleague during the filming of the 2010 MBC drama series "Dong Yi." Cast in a minor role, Choi said he began drinking heavily out of wounded pride. "I was tormented by the thought, 'Is this all I'm worth?'" he said. "There was a scuffle in the neighborhood, and when it escalated the police showed up."

Choi initially denied any assault, but CCTV footage showing him striking the junior colleague surfaced and caused a public uproar. "I thought, as long as it doesn't go to the police station and no formal complaint is filed, there's no real problem — it was just a minor incident," he said. "I wasn't in my right mind. It was a serious mistake. It was wrong."

He then endured a four-year hiatus. "I had savings, but I had to pay heavy penalties for breaking advertising contracts, and I slowly began my decline," he said.

Feeling that a comeback through acting would be difficult, Choi took out loans and launched a business recruiting Southeast Asian students to study in South Korea. But the COVID-19 pandemic blocked that path too. "The pandemic went on for so long," he said. "I thought I could hold on, so I kept borrowing and holding out — but I ultimately reached the point where I had to sell my home."

After selling his home to pay off his debts, he was left with nowhere to go. His wife and children moved in with her parents, while Choi used what he said was his last credit card payment before the card was cut off to check into a motel. "I didn't have the courage to end my life — I had to hold on for my children," he said. With no immediate answers, he began drinking again at the motel, spending an entire month cycling between passing out drunk and waking up to drink again, losing all sense of day and night.

His body eventually gave out, and only when he could no longer drink did he seek out fellow actor Jeong Un-taek and beg for help. Jeong rushed to his side and helped him recuperate at a church, giving him the footing to rebuild his life.

After quitting drinking and regaining stability, Choi took up work loading and unloading delivery parcels. "Working Monday through Friday for a full month, I earned 3.4 million won ($2,460)," he said. "I did that for six months."

While struggling to get by, he appeared on MBN's "Teukjong Sesang" in 2020 and revealed his situation. "I was sharing a room with a roommate to save on monthly rent when an MBN writer reached out," he said. "I said no at first, but they offered 1.5 million won for three episodes. When I did the math, I realized that was what I'd earn from at least nine or ten days of loading work, so I was immediately tempted."

After the broadcast aired, many acquaintances reached out and offered help, and he was even hired as a promotional model and staff member for a cruise company. In 2022, however, he again found himself at the center of controversy after police arrested him on charges including trespassing, following a drunken disturbance in the hallway of the cruise company CEO's home.

Having weathered those storms, Choi is now charting a new course — working on a web drama production while also training aspiring actors in Suwon. He teaches acting at a vocational school in the city and has won a directing award at a film festival for a short film he both directed and starred in.

Choi said he recently received an offer to appear in a cable-channel Sageuk drama series and has begun preparing for the role. If the project goes ahead, it will mark his return to television for the first time in about seven years.