South Korean Actor Ma Dong-seok Reveals Injury During Filming, Nearly Paralyzed and Suffering from Panic Disorder

The name Ma Dong-seok is familiar to many, even those who only watch TikTok and are not into Korean films. Ma Dong-seok's cool action scenes and strong physique bring great satisfaction to the audience.

Whether it's "Train to Busan" or "Along with the Gods," he appears as a muscular middle-aged uncle figure, serving as a pillar of the South Korean film industry and a guarantee for box office success.

Ma Dong-seok made his way to Hollywood by starring in the Marvel film "The Eternals," but he was criticized by the Korean media for being arrogant. He explained this on Wednesday.

Ma Dong-seok said he started practicing boxing in junior high school and worked part-time in order to become an athlete in high school. However, he had to give up his dream of becoming an athlete after a motorcycle accident resulted in a fractured left shoulder.

Later, after becoming an actor, he encountered an accident during a shoot. The building suddenly collapsed, causing him to fall from a height of 6 meters and fracture two vertebrae, the sternum, ankle, and half of his Achilles tendon, narrowly avoiding lower-body paralysis. He joked, "But my bones are naturally tough, so I survived."

Despite the significant trauma caused by the accident, Ma Dong-seok hasn't been able to properly recover and rehabilitate over the past ten years due to his rising popularity. As a result, he has developed various symptoms, including panic disorder. He stated, "I have panic disorder, so I can't really take flights. In my case, it's not panic disorder caused by depression but rather a result of autonomic nervous system issues caused by the spinal fracture. Until recently, I have even experienced difficulty breathing." 

马东石坦言，拒绝跟记者面对面受访也是因为恐慌障碍，“有时候拍戏也会有症状发生，所以中断拍摄，然后采访也是，这么久以来不能受访。”

Ma Dong-seok did not specify which TV drama or film he was shooting when he got injured, but there were previous reports of an accident on the set of the 2014 Korean drama "Bad Guys."