Actor Lee Se-chang undergoes emergency surgery: 'Pain level 10 — I nearly died'

Actor Lee Se-chang has undergone emergency surgery after being diagnosed with acute appendicitis.

Lee posted photos to Instagram on Thursday showing himself lying in a hospital bed wearing a patient gown, with an IV needle in his arm and a drip running into his body.

Lee recalled the frantic early-morning ordeal, writing that he called 119 for the first time after being struck by what felt like a tearing pain in his abdomen.

"Pain level 10. No matter how much it hurt, I never knew it could hurt this much," he wrote, adding that the surgery was performed on an emergency basis for acute appendicitis.

"It came out of nowhere — and of all times, when I was home alone. I nearly died," Lee added.

Lee made his official debut in 1993 as a specially recruited talent at MBC and went on to earn a wide following through appearances in numerous productions, including the SBS drama series "Rustic Period," the MBC drama series "Flowers of the Prison" and "Dodungnom Dodungnim."

Fans flooded the post with messages of support, leaving comments such as "Wishing you a speedy recovery," "Get well soon" and "Please take good care of your health."