K-Pop Star Gets Forcibly Hospitalized For Bipolar Disorder At The Height Of His Career

Togeworl member Do Daeyoon has opened up about the severe mental health crisis that forced him to step away just as his career was taking off.

Do Daeyoon and Kim Yerim appeared together on the July 17 episode of KBS2’s Happy Together: Happy Because We’re Not Alone, marking Togeworl’s return as a complete duo for the first time in 13 years. Their appearance immediately surprised Yoon Jong Shin, who had served as a judge when the pair competed on Mnet’s Superstar K3 in 2011.

Yoon Jong Shin recalled personally selecting Togeworl during the preliminary auditions in New York and described them as the team he had been most fond of during the competition. Togeworl ultimately finished in third place and successfully entered the entertainment industry. However, their activities together came to an abrupt end less than a year after joining Mystic Entertainment, when Do Daeyoon suddenly returned to the United States.

During the broadcast, he revealed that he had been suffering from severe bipolar disorder at the time.

The reason I had to take such a long break was that I was seriously struggling with bipolar disorder. I had no choice but to step away for a long time.

— Do Daeyoon

Kim Yerim remembered that both members had been overwhelmed by a relentless schedule after Superstar K3. Their days were packed with performances, concerts, and promotional events, despite the fact that they were still high school students who had not been prepared for the demands of sudden fame. She eventually began noticing that Do Daeyoon’s behavior and emotional state were changing.

Do Daeyoon explained that he had felt immense pressure but lacked the courage or emotional tools to tell anyone what he was going through. Still navigating adolescence at the time, he continued suppressing his stress until his condition became increasingly severe. Unable to determine how to cope, he ultimately decided that returning to the United States was his only option.

His departure followed an even more painful chapter that he had previously disclosed publicly. In 2024, Do Daeyoon revealed that his mother had admitted him to a psychiatric hospital against his will while he was experiencing serious mental health difficulties.

After leaving Korea, Do Daeyoon attempted to build an entirely different life away from the entertainment industry. Believing that music might not be his only path, he worked several jobs in the United States, including in a jewelry warehouse, quality inspection, office work, and bartending. He also reportedly worked as singer Jang Beom June’s manager until last year.

Despite spending more than a decade away, Do Daeyoon admitted he had never completely forgotten Togeworl. After finding the courage to return to Korea, he contacted Kim Yerim and asked whether she would be willing to perform with him again.

The pair reunited on stage with “Fox,” one of the songs they had performed together during Superstar K3. Their performance became particularly emotional because of the guilt Do Daeyoon had carried throughout their years apart. Filmmaker Jang Hang Jun observed that Do Daeyoon appeared to be using the stage to express both his apology and his desire to begin again with Kim Yerim.

Kim Yerim admitted that performing with him again reminded her of how naturally their voices had complemented one another. Although she had continued collaborating with numerous artists during her solo career, the reunion made her realize how well Do Daeyoon’s voice had once supported her own. Do Daeyoon described the experience as almost unreal, saying the emotions that surfaced were difficult to explain. He also directly thanked Kim Yerim for enduring the years when she had been forced to continue alone.

I’m grateful to Yerim. It could not have been easy for her to promote alone while I was in the United States. I’m sorry, and she worked very hard.

— Do Daeyoon

More than a decade after bipolar disorder, forced hospitalization, and overwhelming pressure abruptly derailed his career, Do Daeyoon’s return marked both a long-awaited Togeworl reunion and a deeply personal attempt to reclaim the music he once left behind.

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