par Ceki, avril 16, 2018
14

Legendary South Korean actress Choi Eun Hee passed away today while at the hospital as she was receiving kidney dialysis. She was 92. Her health had been getting worse and worse ever since her husband Shin Sang Ok's death in 2006. The two had a long history together, including divorcing in 1976 (due to his infidelity) and then being forced to remarry while being hostages in North Korea!

She made her debut in the 1942 play Youth Theater. She began her film career in 1947 in the film A New Oath and she had been considered the star of Korean cinema since then. She even met with Marilyn Monroe (pictured below). 

Choi was so popular a few decades ago that Kim Jong-Il (the then leader of North Korea) ordered her t obe kidnapped and brought to North Korea in 1978. He also ordered the kidnapping of her then already divorced husband Shin Sang Ok. The pair was forced to remarry and perform in North Korean movies, they appeared in a total of 17 films. During a trip to Vienna in 1986, the couple fled to the USA and sought political  asylum. 13 years later, the two were finally able to return to South Korea.

Choi received the award for best actress at the 14th Moscow International Film Festival in 1985, for her part in the film Sogum. She also wrote a book about her and her husband's life in North Korea. 


Sources: (1), (2)

choi eun hee