Comedian Go Myung-hwan Shares Miraculous Survival Story

Comedian Go Myung-hwan recently recounted his harrowing experience of narrowly escaping death during an appearance on KBS 2TV's variety show, Immortal Songs (불후의 명곡), which aired on February 1, 2025. During the episode, host Lee Chan-won asked Go about his recent success as an author, noting that he had co-authored a bestseller with writer Han Gang in 2024. Go revealed, 'The book was published at the end of August, and within three months—September, October, and November—we sold 100,000 copies. I receive 10% in royalties.' Kim Jun-hyun chimed in, estimating that the earnings could equate to the price of a foreign car, as the book had gone to its 28th printing in just three months.

Reflecting on his journey to becoming an author, Go shared a life-altering incident from 2005 while filming the KBS drama Haeshin (해신). He recalled, 'I was playing a warrior alongside Song Il-gook. After filming 18 episodes of the 50-episode series, I was returning from Wando when my manager was speeding at 190 km/h.' He described waking up to find a 10-ton truck just one meter away, traveling at 70 km/h, and tragically colliding with it while he was asleep in the passenger seat.

Go recounted waking up in one of the best hospitals in South Korea, where doctors informed him that he would die within a second. He shared, 'Before they even explained my symptoms, they were preparing for my last rites. My mother was beside me, asking how long I would live if a miracle occurred. They said if I regained consciousness, it would be 2-3 days. But miraculously, I survived.'

He reflected on the profound clarity he gained from facing death, stating, 'When I stood at the brink of death, everything became clear. I realized that I had been living according to what others deemed good or right. For the first time in 34 years, I asked myself how I could live authentically. This curiosity led me to read books, and after accumulating a collection of 3,000, I felt inspired to write my own.' He began his writing journey in 2015.

Currently, Go Myung-hwan is happily married to actress Lim Ji-eun.