Film Industry Legend Actress Choi Eun Hee Passes Away

Veteran actress Choi Eun Hee has passed away.

On April 16, the 92-year-old actress passed away at 5:30 p.m. KST. Her eldest son, director Shin Jung Gyun, stated, “She passed away while she was at the hospital to receive a kidney dialysis.”

Choi Eun Hee has been receiving medical treatment since 2006 when her health began deteriorating after the death of her husband, director Shin Sang Ok.

The actress first made her debut in 1942 through the play “Youth Theater” and throughout her illustrious career, appeared in or directed over 130 films. She has also won many awards, both domestically and abroad, having won the Best Actress Award at the Buil Film Awards in 1959, 1962, and 1966, the Best Actress Award at the 1985 Moscow International Film Festival, and multiple Lifetime Achievement Awards.

In 1978, Choi Eun Hee was kidnapped to North Korea, where she was reunited with Shin Sang Ok, who was also kidnapped. In North Korea, the pair made a total of 17 films by order of then North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. During a trip to Vienna in 1986, the couple fled and sought political asylum at the U.S. Embassy, and they were able to return to South Korea in 1999.

Choi Eun Hee’s wake was held on April 16 and her funeral will be held on April 19.

We offer our deepest condolences to Choi Eun Hee’s family.

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