From IU to SHINee’s Key: Stars with call phobia “When the phone rings, my heart races”
As the number of people experiencing "call phobia" increases, some stars have confessed to having this fear
On July 4th, SHINee’s Key appeared on the YouTube channel “Finally Hanhae”. Key revealed that he suffers from severe call phobia.
Hanhae lamented, “Key’s KakaoTalk message is ‘Don’t call me. I’m not answering’. So how can I contact you?“
Key responded, “I have severe call phobia. I don’t always answer the phone once. It’s a bit scary to answer. I’m scared. My heart is racing. When I get a call, I don’t pick it up, so I send it right away. ‘Why, why, why, why? Then, I’ll call you in 10 minutes.’ This is the only way the call will be successful.”
Upon hearing this, Hanhae said, “You’re really different from me. I even answer 070 (often telemarketing calls in Korea). I’m worried I might miss something important. I can’t even hang up on them.”
Singer-actress IU also confessed to having call phobia in the past on her YouTube channel “IU Official”.
IU shared, “I find talking on the phone very difficult. Even if it’s my mom calling, I feel a bit uncomfortable when the phone rings.“
She added, “The only person I’m not uncomfortable talking to is my manager because we have a lot of work-related things to discuss. I even find it hard to talk to Yoo In-na on the phone. In fact, I can’t talk on the phone with anyone.“
Following Key and IU, choreographer Honey J also revealed her aversion to phone calls.
Honey J appeared on Channel A’s “Dr. Oh’s Golden Clinic” and said, “I hate making phone calls. I tell people to just text me. Even when a call comes in, I just stare at the phone until the person hangs up. I think, ‘If it’s urgent, they’ll text me.’“
She added, “It’s not with bad intentions. I don’t know why I hate answering the phone. Recently, I’ve been avoiding calls from people I’ve met and grown close to. Sometimes, I don’t even answer my mom’s calls.“
