Here’s what the doctor said.
In the March 2, 2026 (KST) episode of TV Chosun‘s Lovers of Joseon, CAN member Bae Giseong (or Bae Kisung) shocked viewers after revealing that he has lost hearing in one ear following extreme efforts to conceive a child.
The show followed Bae Giseong and his wife to the hospital, where the singer was confirmed to have acute sensorineural hearing loss. He explained, “Something strange started happening to my body,” and added that he has been receiving treatment for about three weeks, but the improvement has been slow, so he plans to undergo additional tests.
After our trip to Gyeongju, I tried to approach pregnancy with a strong sense of purpose and responsibility, but suddenly, I couldn’t hear out of my right ear. The diagnosis is sudden hearing loss.
— Bae Giseong
The attending doctor concluded that Bae Giseong’s health issue stemmed from “overexertion” while trying to conceive. The doctor explained, “The decisive factor was that he pushed himself too hard while preparing for pregnancy.”
His vitality was already low, but he forced himself beyond his limits. To be honest, it’s like he had energy worth 1 but spent 10. Now his body is ‘in debt.’ And in traditional medicine, the ears are directly connected to a man’s vitality.
— Bae Giseong’s Doctor
When Bae Giseong asked whether his hearing would return if his sexual function recovered, the doctor was rather blunt in telling the singer, “Your age and sperm function are already declining, and no amount of attempts will change that.” That’s when Bae Giseong candidly admitted, “I was told we had to do it as often as possible, so… we had sex every night for eight consecutive days.”
I even thought, ‘If I keep going at this rate, I might actually drop dead.’ But there was a group encouraging couples to try to conceive together, so I felt a strong sense of obligation. Once I got caught up in the atmosphere, I became determined to succeed this time. I think the stress of feeling like I had to do it every day really built up.
— Bae Giseong
His wife also grew emotional as she opened up about her decade-long struggle surrounding the issue. “A child could become motivation for us, but I also wondered how much harder things might become,” she explained.
The doctor ultimately advised the couple not to treat pregnancy like a task. “Don’t think of conception as work. What’s most important is preparing for it with enough relaxation and stability,” the doctor said, urging them to let go of their urgency—and try the more “usual” and realistic frequency of once a week for a man of his age.
Read more about Bae Giseong here: