Onew Reveals Health Scare Changmin Called 'Dangerous'

SHINee's Onew has opened up about the health scare that left friends and fans deeply worried — and for the first time in a public setting, the details sound more serious than many realized. On Sung Sikyung's YouTube show I'll Sing It (부를텐데), the host asked Onew directly about his past weight loss, and the singer's candid answer stopped the room cold.

"I love sweets so much. I even thought I could live on just sugary foods," Onew said, before adding: "But back then, my health got really bad." The admission came just weeks after his critically acclaimed return with the fifth mini album TOUGH LOVE, which debuted at No. 1 on iTunes charts in nine countries — a comeback that now carries even more meaning given the road he took to get there.

The Period That Worried Everyone

It was 2023 when the public first noticed something was wrong. Onew, born Lee Jin-ki and known as the gentle, honeyed voice at the heart of SHINee, appeared noticeably thinner on broadcasts. Fan communities flooded with concern. Onew quietly halted all activities in June of that year to rest and recover — a pause that lasted long enough for fans to genuinely wonder when, or whether, he would return to the promotional cycle at full capacity.

The episode of I'll Sing It, which also featured singer-songwriter Lee Seok-hoon, brought some of that history back into the conversation. Sung Sikyung — himself fresh off a 10-kilogram weight loss journey — said he had noticed Onew's dramatic change and felt genuinely worried at the time. It wasn't just him.

TVXQ's Changmin had previously spoken about Onew's condition in even starker terms on a separate broadcast: "I was really worried when you lost so much weight. It wasn't okay — it was dangerous." Coming from a labelmate and close friend who has seen the pressures of the K-pop industry firsthand, the word "dangerous" carried real weight. Changmin attributed the decline to Onew's diet at the time — a detail that Onew himself confirmed on I'll Sing It.

Onew confirmed that the wake-up call worked. "These days I make sure to exercise enough and maintain a proper diet," he told Sung Sikyung, offering a quiet but unmistakable signal that the worst is behind him. The honesty was characteristic of the kind of conversation Sung Sikyung tends to draw out of his guests — less a promotional segment than a genuine check-in between people who have been watching each other navigate the industry for years.

TOUGH LOVE: A Title That Hits Different Now

Released on March 9, 2026, TOUGH LOVE is Onew's fifth mini album — and arguably his most personal. For the first time since his debut with SHINee in 2008, he receives a composer credit on the title track, co-writing a song that speaks directly to the idea of enduring pain and coming out stronger on the other side. The music video drives the point home visually: Onew bears the weight of hardship but refuses to stop moving forward.

The album's five tracks — TOUGH LOVE, Dot dot dot (...), Flex on me, Lie, and X, Oh Why? — each explore different angles of love and struggle. The project charted at No. 1 on Bugs, one of South Korea's major music platforms, immediately upon release. Globally, it topped iTunes' Top Albums chart in Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Indonesia, Japan, Chile, Taipei, the Philippines, and Hong Kong, and settled in third place on the Worldwide iTunes chart — nine countries where Onew's music landed with enough force to top the rankings.

His first music program appearance in approximately three years came on Mnet's M Countdown on March 12, and a pop-up store celebrating the release drew long lines from fans across Seoul. The response made clear that the audience hadn't moved on — if anything, the wait made the reunion feel more charged. For longtime Shawols, seeing Onew perform with visible health and energy after years of concern was a moment that no chart position could fully capture.

A Show Built for Honest Conversations

Sung Sikyung's YouTube channel, which has developed a reputation for drawing out relaxed, genuine exchanges between Korean music industry veterans, provided the ideal setting for Onew's disclosure. The show's format — informal, music-focused, and hosted by a singer known equally for his warm personality and his deep industry knowledge — encourages exactly the kind of reflective candor that rarely surfaces in conventional press appearances.

The I'll Sing It episode also touched on Onew's inner life during the difficult period. He described moments of feeling isolated and wrestling with how to live well — language that resonated immediately with fans who had spent months worried about him. Lee Seok-hoon, who joined the episode fresh off releasing his new single Love Is (사랑이란 건), rounded out a conversation that felt less like promotional content and more like a sincere gathering of friends.

The conversation briefly turned to IVE's Jang Wonyoung, whom Sung Sikyung also mentioned as someone he had previously worried about due to her slim frame. "Thankfully, she's looking prettier now," he noted — a comment that resonated with fans who have long been vocal about the pressures young idols face around their physical appearance. The moment highlighted the broader culture of care that often runs beneath the surface of the Korean entertainment industry, especially among artists who have navigated similar pressures at different stages of their careers.

What's Next for Onew

The comeback is already expanding beyond Korea. On April 3, 2026, Onew will launch an Asian fan meeting tour covering five cities — a schedule that would have been difficult to imagine during the lowest point of his health crisis just three years ago. The tour reflects both his recovery and the sustained international fanbase that TOUGH LOVE's global chart performance makes concrete.

Within SHINee, Onew has always occupied a particular role: the lead vocalist whose tone anchors the group's sound and whose presence communicates a kind of dependable warmth that fans find hard to describe but immediately recognize. Watching him step back into that position — healthier, more personally invested in his creative output than ever before, and willing to talk openly about what the past few years actually cost him — is, for the people who have followed his career closely, exactly the kind of story worth celebrating.

For many listeners, hearing Onew speak honestly about his health struggle adds a layer of texture to TOUGH LOVE that makes it more than just a comeback album. The title, it turns out, describes the journey as much as it does the music.