Goo Hye Sun’s Allergy Confession Sparks Controversy
Actress Goo Hye Sun has once again found herself facing accusations of dishonesty after sharing how she supposedly overcame the food allergies that once forced her to abandon a K-Drama.
On July 18, Goo Hye Sun appeared as a guest on MBN’s Kim Joo Ha’s Day & Night, where she revisited the serious health crisis that led to her sudden departure from the 2017 series You Are Too Much. At the time, the actress reportedly experienced dizziness and intermittent difficulty breathing while filming. She was rushed to the emergency room, diagnosed with anaphylaxis, and hospitalized before ultimately withdrawing from the production.
A Controversial “Recovery” Story
During the recent broadcast, Goo Hye Sun explained that she believed the reaction had been caused by food. According to the actress, she began reacting to most foods and experienced similar episodes approximately twice.
What drew considerably more attention, however, was her account of what happened afterward. Goo Hye Sun said the experience changed her attitude toward life. Unwilling to spend the rest of her life avoiding the foods she loved, she decided she wanted to eat marinated crab again. She reportedly obtained prescribed allergy medication and prepared an injection before taking the risk.
I thought, ‘Let’s just eat it and die.’ Strangely, though, I didn’t experience any symptoms. After that, I was able to eat everything normally again.
— Goo Hye Sun
The Anaphylaxis Debate: Experts Weigh In
Her story immediately prompted fierce debate online. Several viewers with severe allergies argued that her description could cause dangerous misunderstandings about the difference between a food allergy and anaphylaxis. They stressed that anaphylaxis is a potentially fatal emergency rather than something patients should attempt to “overcome” by deliberately exposing themselves to a suspected allergen.
One netizen snarked, “Is anaphylaxis something you cure by preparing some medicine and eating marinated crab? Patients with severe allergies already live with people misunderstanding us, and now she’s saying something else that could create misconceptions.” Another commenter warned viewers not to imitate her apparent experiment, noting, “Anaphylaxis requires an injection. This could become extremely dangerous. I hope nobody follows what she did.”
Medical guidance supports the concern surrounding that distinction. Epinephrine is considered the first-line treatment for anaphylaxis, and antihistamines should not be used as a replacement. Because severe reactions can progress unpredictably and become fatal, suspected anaphylaxis requires immediate emergency treatment. Others, however, defended Goo Hye Sun by pointing out that allergies can change over time. Some speculated that she may have experienced a less severe food allergy after her initial medical emergency or eventually stopped reacting to the specific trigger.
A handful of netizens shared, “My allergies also completely disappeared at one point,” and “Perhaps her allergy to marinated crab wasn’t the life-threatening kind. Some food allergies can cause symptoms like hives and later disappear.”
Old Accusations Resurface: The “Mythomania” Rumor
Still, the account has attracted particularly harsh scrutiny because of a rumor that has followed Goo Hye Sun for well over a decade.
During the height of her fame following Boys Over Flowers, some netizens began accusing her of “mythomania,” a term commonly used to describe compulsive or pathological lying, after finding several of her interview stories difficult to believe. The rumor resurfaced prominently during her highly publicized divorce dispute with actor Ahn Jae Hyun in 2019.
Goo Hye Sun previously denied that she habitually lied, explaining that her jokes and playful remarks were often reported out of context, distorting their original tone.
Eighty percent of what I say is usually just for fun. As those things were delivered to the public through the media, they became ‘lies,’ and I became a ‘liar.’
— Goo Hye Sun
Goo Hye Sun’s Defense: Public Goals for Accountability
In fact, during the very same appearance, Goo Hye Sun directly addressed the long-running accusations that she exaggerates or makes claims she cannot substantiate. When confronted with comments that she is a pathological liar, Goo Hye Sun calmly acknowledged that she had heard the accusation many times. “I’ve heard that a lot,” she commented.
However, she did not agree that her habit of making bold statements was necessarily dishonest. Instead, Goo Hye Sun explained that she deliberately announces her goals aloud because doing so pressures her to follow through. According to the actress, she knows that she has an extremely lazy side and may never act on an idea if she keeps it to herself. Once she says something publicly, however, she feels responsible for turning it into reality.
I think saying it out loud is important. If I don’t say it, I won’t do it because I never said I would. I know myself.
— Goo Hye Sun
The Lingering Question
That said, no outsider can determine the precise nature of Goo Hye Sun’s past diagnosis or subsequent recovery based solely on a television anecdote. Regardless, critics argue that her wording blurred the critical distinction between ordinary allergic symptoms and potentially fatal anaphylaxis.
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Source: Star News and Star News
