Actor Ahn Jae-wook Pays Off Medical Bills After Brain Surgery in the U.S.

Actor Ahn Jae-wook has revealed that he has fully paid off his medical bills, amounting to several hundred million won, over a period of two years following his emergency brain surgery in the United States. In 2013, while visiting Los Angeles, Ahn suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage and underwent surgery, spending a month in the hospital. At that time, he was billed $450,000 (approximately 5 billion won), which highlighted the high cost of medical care in the U.S.

On the KBS2 show ‘Park Won-sook’s Let’s Live Together’ aired on May 19, Ahn recounted the events leading up to his hospitalization. He had planned to attend a close friend's wedding in the U.S. but was unable to due to an extension of his drama filming. After finishing the drama, he had a two-week break and quickly traveled to the U.S. with his friend and his friend's spouse.

However, on the first day of their trip, Ahn felt unwell and decided to rest in his room while the couple enjoyed their time. He later experienced severe nausea and began vomiting, which led to a moment where he struggled to breathe. He recalled, “I felt a crack in my neck, like the sound of tearing cardboard.” His friend, noticing his condition, called him and rushed to his aid, ultimately calling an ambulance to take him to the hospital.

Ahn expressed relief that the surgery was successful but admitted that when he first regained consciousness, he was reluctant to open his eyes, wishing it was all just a dream. He shared that instead of feeling grateful for surviving, he found himself questioning why this had happened to him, reflecting on his life choices. Despite the ordeal, he described it as the most extraordinary trip of his life.

When asked by Park Won-sook about the high medical costs due to lack of insurance, Ahn revealed that he was informed of the $500,000 bill upon discharge, which nearly caused him to collapse again. He explained that in Korea, patients must pay for surgery upfront, while in the U.S., the priority is to save the patient first and discuss costs later. He managed to negotiate the final bill down to less than half of the original amount with the help of a medical attorney after returning to Korea, taking two years to settle the payments.