Things weren't always easy for one big Korean star.

FTISLAND lead singer Lee Hongki recently appeared on the SBS talk show "Same Bed Different Dreams" where he gave some encouraging words to a young man aspiring to be a boxer.

On the Dec. 5 episode, a student whose father is suffering Lou Gherig's Disease (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS) appeared as one of the show's guests. The young man revealed that he is currently preparing to be a national boxer and talked about the pressure he and his mother are under trying to live through their famiy's financial difficulties.

The young man's story struck a chord with Lee Hongki who reflected on his own difficult childhood. "My house was financially unstable when I was young so we lived off of the money I earned from child-acting," Hongki explained.

"I was young so I wanted to buy a lot of things, and I was too young to understand my parents," he said. "Now I look back and I'm really glad that I worked that hard when I was young."

"I hope you continue to pursue after your dreams without giving up," he added with encouragement to the aspiring boxer.