Eric Nam Opens Up About Why He Left Korea: 'My Mental Health Was Getting Worse'

Eric Nam has been notably absent from South Korea's entertainment scene for some time, and now he's explained why in candid terms: living there took a serious toll on him.

Appearing as a surprise guest on the Jykiout YouTube channel back in March, in a video titled "Ran into Eric Nam on the Street and Had an Impromptu Busking Session", the Korean-American singer opened up about his departure. "There were a lot of difficult parts about living in Korea," he said. "My mental health got worse, and my overall health deteriorated." It was that decline, he explained, that led him to return to the United States.

Since making the move, Nam has kept himself busy across multiple projects. He told the channel he had joined the cast of The Traitors, the Peacock reality competition that's become one of American television's buzziest shows. The series, essentially a high-stakes social deduction game, won six Emmy Awards last year and even landed a Super Bowl advertisement. Nam also mentioned that a Korean version of the show is in the works, with veteran actor Cha Seung-won set to host.

Beyond The Traitors, Nam described a career that has expanded well beyond music. "I'm doing variety, and I've been doing acting since a couple of years ago," he said. "My job titles these days would be MC, singer, and businessman, I think. There's a lot I still want to do."

Perhaps the most striking part of his update was a moment of genuine disbelief at his own reach. "Lately, when I'm out and about in America, even people who don't know K-pop recognize me," he said. "It's not me bragging, I genuinely find it surreal. I keep thinking, how did I even get here? Just being able to do this job at all feels like something to be grateful for."

Nam, born in 1988, debuted as a singer in 2013 and built a devoted following across both Korea and the broader Asian-American community. His reflections on health and identity feel like a natural chapter for an artist who has always straddled two worlds, and who, at least for now, seems to have found his footing firmly in one of them.