Veteran South Korean actress Kang Soo-yeon has died

South Korean actress Kang Soo-yeon has died at the age of 55 following a cardiac arrest.

Kang died from a cerebral hemorrhage on Saturday (May 7) after she was admitted to a hospital in Seoul on Thursday (May 5) following a sudden cardiac arrest.

Kang’s memorial service has been set up at Samsung Medical Center in Seoul. Her funeral ceremony will be held on Wednesday (May 11) and will be broadcast live through the Korean Film Council’s YouTube channel, according to a report from The Hollywood Reporter.

The funeral committee will be led by Kim Dong-ho, former chairperson of the board of the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF).

“Kang broke boundaries with her fearless performances. Winning two major international awards, she was the first generation world-class actor,” Kim said of Kang Soo-yeon’s passing to The Korea Times. “She also had strong leadership and charisma. Her legacy will live on in the movies she has made.”

Kang Soo-yeon began her acting career as a child actor in the 1970s, before transitioning to adult roles in her twenties. In 1987, she became the first Korean actress to win Best Actress at the Venice International Film Festival for her role in The Surrogate Womb.

In 1989, she would receive the Best Actress award at the Moscow International Film Festival for her role in Come, Come, Come Upward. She would go on to star in multiple movies including All That Falls Has Wings (1990), Girls’ Night Out (1998) and Hanbando (2006). Her last major film role was in 2013’s Juri.

On the small screen, Kang was known for her roles in coming-of-age drama Diary of High School Student between 1983 and 1984, and the historical political drama Ladies of the Palace in 2001.

Kang Soo-yeon most recently wrapped up filming for the upcoming Netflix sci-fi film, JUNG_E. Helmed by Train To Busan and Hellbound creator Yeon Sang-ho, the movie is scheduled to premiere sometime later this year.

From 2015 till 2017, Kang served as a co-director of the BIFF. BIFF has since paid tribute to Kang following her passing, writing on social media: “Former executive chairman Kang Soo-yeon has worked hard to spread Korean movies to the world”.

Netflix Korea wrote on Instagram: “It was an honour to be with the late Kang Soo-yeon, who always showed great acting and good energy on the set. We will not forget every moment of actress Kang Soo-yeon who did her best for good work”.

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