Actress Park So Dam Struggles With Losing Her Voice After Thyroid Cancer Surgery

Actress Park So Dam recently shared the difficulties she faced and the current situation in overcoming papillary thyroid cancer.

Park So Dam | @imsodamm/Instagram

On December 11, Parasite actress Park So Dam appeared on Jo Hyunah‘s YouTube talk show, Jo Hyunah’s Thursday Night, alongside actor Seo In Guk. The two will be starring in the upcoming TVing original show Death Game.

Your browser does not support video.| Jo Hyunah’s Thursday Night/YouTube  

When the interview was about to begin, Jo Hyunah stated that they would do something different and not drink alcohol. She emphasized that it hadn’t been long since Park So Dam recovered from thyroid cancer, so she didn’t want to drink without the actress.

However, Park So Dam claimed that she could drink now.

We can drink. I actually asked the doctor who performed surgery on me. He said that it has been some time since I got the surgery, and it might be good for people to see me saying that I’m strong now and the surgery went well.

— Park So Dam

Your browser does not support video.| Jo Hyunah’s Thursday Night/YouTube  

Although she can eat and drink now, she voiced a concern she had—not for herself but for others.

What worried me was that when thinking of those going through similar pains as me, I should be careful. However, my doctor told me it was really okay for me to drink. It was just my choice not to drink these days. I want to see unnie (Jo Hyunah) drink.

— Park So Dam

| Jo Hyunah’s Thursday Night/YouTube 

As the three of them enjoyed a beer together, Park So Dam shared a behind-the-scenes struggle she had while filming Death Game because of her surgery.

When I first received this production, it hadn’t been long since my surgery, and my voice hadn’t fully recovered and my head couldn’t even turn all the way. Usually, when I receive a role, I immerse myself in the character and read the script. However, for this production, I watched more while immersed in Seo In Guk’s character, Choi I Jae. So, I decided to participate in this show because I really wanted to do it.

— Park So Dam

| @imsodamm/Instagram 

When asked about the most challenging part of cancer treatment, Park So Dam shared that it was her voice.

It was when my voice didn’t come out. It took about eight months for my voice to return. It hasn’t been that long since it healed actually. Until then, I tried my best to recover as quickly as possible and worked hard to get better.

— Park So Dam

She was then asked if her cancer treatment was more difficult mentally or physically, but she said it was both.

Both. Even while filming the first half of Death Game, I  had a hard time and cried every day while filming… at home.

— Park So Dam

Your browser does not support video.| Jo Hyunah’s Thursday Night/YouTube  

Seo In Guk shared that he had no idea she was going through so much, and Park So Dam admitted she tried not to show her pain to not cause inconvenience to the production.

My biggest thought was not to cause trouble to the director who cast me, the staff, and my co-stars. But endurring it was often physically demanding. I started the show thinking I was okay, but it was so hard seeing myself not being able to handle it. I cried a lot thinking, ‘Am I really okay?’ But now, I’m okay.

— Park So Dam

| @imsodamm/Instagram

The actress admitted she wanted to share these stories with Jo Hyunah but was a bit shy at the same time. She claimed that if it were even a couple of months earlier, she wouldn’t have been able to be so vulnerable, but she has recovered a lot within the past few months.

Your browser does not support video.| Jo Hyunah’s Thursday Night/YouTube 

Based on a webtoon of the same name, Death Game is about a person who starts a new life after death. It is set to be released on TVing on December 15 and will air every Friday.

“Death Game” poster | TVing

Park So Dam started her career as an actress in 2013 and gained popularity through the 2015 film The Priests, the K-Drama Cinderella with Four Knights (2016), and Record of Youth (2020). She achieved international fame for Parasite in 2019, which won the Palme d’Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival and the Academy Award for Best Picture.

Choi Woo Sik, Song Kang Ho, Jang Hye Jin, and Park So Dam in “Parasite” | NEON

In 2021, Park So Dam announced that she had been diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer and underwent surgery to treat it. She kept away from the public eye for a year before appearing at a press conference in December 2022.