(KBS 2TV)

BTOB member Peniel revealed that he had been suffering from hair loss and showed his shaved head on a talk show for the first time since his debut in 2012.

The Monday episode of “Hello Counselor” showed Peniel taking off a cap. Peniel said in the episode that he has taken a long way round.

“I’ve been worried about my baldness for the last five years,” he said. “Each time I was asked about the caps I was wearing, I lied.”

Peniel added he has lost 70 percent of the hair on his head. After being told by doctors that it was unlikely to grow back, he decided to shave the rest of it off.

Still, he said he hesitated to talk publicly about the issue.

“I wanted to be frank about my hair loss, but I could not, considering my status as an idol group member,” he said.

After talking about his situation on the TV show, the hosts told him that he was “cute without a baseball cap.”

“Now I am glad to be open about my hair loss,” Peniel said. “I feel like I’m free.”

(BTOB member Yook Sung-jae's Instagram account)

Peniel’s bandmate Yook Sung-jae showed his support for Peniel through an Instagram post.

“Peniel, you got the sweetest heart in the world. We got your back, just stay with us as you are,” he said.

The day after the show aired, Peniel assured fans via his Twitter account that he has no health problems and asked fans not to worry.

(Peniel's Twitter account)

The KBS 2TV’s Monday night talk show “Hello Counselor” features celebrity guests and discusses problems with audience members.

By Son Ji-hyoung (json@heraldcorp.com)