June Elizabeth Kang, third from left, and actor Choi Min-su, second from left, pose with their two sons at a restaurant at the Park Hyatt Hotel Seoul, October. It is the most recent picture of Kang’s family.
/ Courtesy of June Elizabeth Kang |
 By Kang Shin-who
Staff Reporter
Actor Choi Min-su and his family members have overcome influenza A (H1N1), the pandemic that is hitting the world.
In an exclusive interview with The Korea Times, Wednesday, June Elizabeth Kang, Choi's wife and director of communication at the Seoul Foreign School, said that Choi tested positive for influenza A last week and had to stay home with his family for a week. Choi was forced to delay the shooting schedule of his ongoing mini-series for SBS, "Father's Home."
"Although it was a tough time, it was the power of family that helped us overcome the illness," Kang said.
She said that she was speaking out about her family's ordeal in hopes of helping others to have the courage to beat the flu.
The illness first hit Choi's older son, Christian, who had a fever of 40 degrees Celsius. A day before, his younger son, Benjamin, received a vaccination. Christian was taken to the hospital and tested positive.
Kang immediately took the precaution of not going to work as her school's regulations stipulate, and acted as a caregiver to the family. She and her second son didn't end up getting the flu, but, nonetheless, all four members of her family took Tamiflu.
Kang said she experienced some of symptoms of a cold.
"While both my husband and I seemed to be experiencing similar conditions, my husband became instantly concerned about a TV special he is working on with SBS.
"My husband felt strongly he needed to protect the TV staff," she said. That was why Choi informed the TV crew of his situation. However, she said, at one point, the two bantered about which of the two had better resistance to the flu.
She took Tamiflu at the recommendation of her doctor, who told her she might contract the flu from being in such close proximity to patients.
"We were together at home," she said, adding that the time also served as a chance to catch up with each other, considering the busy schedules they both keep. "It helped us pull together and share quality time, bonding, cooking and watching movies," she said. She said that she was sorry for the plight facing those stricken with H1N1.
"It is a serious illness, no mistake about it," she said. "But in the process of taking care of my husband and a child who were both sick with it, I realized that it is important to remain positive," she said, adding that the best way to beat the flu was keeping in high spirits.
kswho@koreatimes.co.kr
최민수 가족 신종플루 극복
배우 최민수와 첫째 아들 유송군이 최근 신종플루에 걸렸다가 회복되었다.
최민수의 아내 강주은씨는 코리아타임스와의 전화 인터뷰에서 첫째 아들이 지난달 28일 플루 확진 판정을 받았고, 최씨 또한 지난주 플루 양성반응을 보여 일주일간 가족모두 외부 활동을 접고 집에서 머물렀다고 말했다.
이에 따라 최씨는 그의 복귀작인 SBS 특집 드라마 '아버지의 집' 촬영을 연기했다. 강씨 또한 플루 유사 증상이 보여 타미플루를 처방 받았고, 현재 일하고 있는 서울외국인학교 규정상 일주일간 집에서 가족들과 시간을 보냈다.
강씨는 "플루 때문에 집에서 힘든 시간을 보냈지만 오히려 가족간에 오붓한 시간을 보낼 수 있어서 나름 의미가 있었던 시간들이었다." 고 전했다.
그는 또 플루에 걸려 힘든 시간을 보내고 있는 사람들의 마음을 이해할 수 있었다며 긍정적인 자세로 침착하게 대처하면 충분히 극복해 낼 수 있는 병이라고 말했다.
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