Choi Jin-sil

Choi Jin-sil (Korean: 최진실; December 24, 1968 – October 2, 2008) was a South Korean actress. She was considered one of the best actresses in South Korea, nicknamed "The Nation's Actress" for playing leading roles in some of the highest-rated Korean dramas of all time such as Jealousy (1992), Stormy Season (1993), Star in My Heart (1997), You and I (1997) and My Rosy Life (2005). Widely considered the most popular actress of her time, she led the entertainment industry in terms of commercial success across advertising, broadcasting, and film. She played leading roles in 18 films and 20 television dramas, appeared in hundreds of advertisements, and won several awards. She was 39 when she died by suicide by hanging on October 2, 2008, at her home in Seoul.
Early years
Choi was born as the first child to her parents Choi Guk-hyeon and Jung Ok-suk on December 24, 1968, in Seoul. Her mother separated from her father in 1985 and divorced him in 1998. She had a younger brother, Choi Jin-young, who was an actor and singer.
Her family was so poor that her mother once managed the household by running a pojangmacha (a small street stall selling foods). She dreamed of becoming a star to escape from the poverty. She said in talk shows her nickname during her school days was "Choisujebi" because she used to eat sujebi (a dumpling soup) instead of ordinary meals due to the home environment. Although she later became a high-paid model and actress, she was known for frugality, even receiving awards for her savings activity and frugality.
She and her brother worked on their acting skills together and they passed the KBS Talent Recruitment Test in 1986. However, their mother did not want her to enter the entertainment industry, and she was unable to pay for her training at the broadcaster, so her dreams of becoming an actress were put on hold.
Career
1988–1990: Beginnings and breakthrough
In 1987, Choi graduated from Seonil Girls' High School. She could not afford to enter art school, so she got a job at a hotel in Seoul, right after graduation. However, she could not give up on her acting dreams and quit the hotel in 1988 and went on a two-month hunger strike. After a while, their mother surrenders and her brother helps her. Her brother, who was a senior in high school, had been working as an advertising model since his freshman year. He personally took her portfolio pictures and visited modeling agencies with her. Eventually, she got an offer and began in Korea's entertainment circles as an advertising film model. She began to gain celebrity status in an advertising campaign for Samsung Electronics in which she acted as a newly wedded housewife. Her appearance caused great reactions not only among the public, but also in the advertising and entertainment industries. The "Choi Jin-sil Syndrome" was called a cultural phenomenon and casting offers poured in.
In 1988, she became a TV actress starring in the MBC historical drama, 500 Years of Joseon. Her first film was Nambugun: North Korean Partisan in South Korea (1990), and her performance in the film won her the Best New Actress awards at the 11th Blue Dragon Film Awards and Chunsa Film Art Awards. In the same year, she played the leading role in the hit movie My Love, My Bride (1990) and won Best New Actress at the 29th Grand Bell Awards and the Korean Association of Film Critics Awards, establishing her as an advertising model-turned film actress.
1990–2002: Continued success
In 1991, she played the role of high school student Da-hye in the teen film You Know What? It's a Secret 2 about the 1980s generation that liberalized school uniforms, followed by the role of Susanne Brink (real name: Shin Yu-sook), a religious studies student at Uppsala University in Sweden, in Susan Brink's Arirang, a film about international adoption of South Korean children. The film was shot on location in Sweden. Choi's intimate portrayal of the adopted child impressed many audiences and earned her critical acclaim, including nominations for Best Actress at the Blue Dragon Film Awards and Baeksang Arts Awards. While living in Sweden during the filming of the movie, Choi experienced the country's gender-equal family culture and took the opportunity to grow as an actress by acting in Swedish and trying out a role she hadn't done before. Her films succeeded in the box office, catapulting Choi to the top within two years of her debut. She was described as 'Chungmuro's money-making machine'; ' the Choi Jin-sil Syndrome, the duck that lays golden eggs'. In November 1991, Choi became the second celebrity to appear in the MBC documentary Age of Humanity after national actor Ahn Sung-ki. The broadcast became a huge success with 43% viewership, and Choi gained national favor with the public, across all generations, with her previously unseen image of a friendly commoner through Age of Humanity: The Truth About Choi Jin-sil. The title is wordplay on her name, Jin-sil (진실 lit. means "truth").
After several experiences in TV dramas as a supporting actress, Choi debuted on a leading role in the MBC drama Jealousy (1992), which recorded the highest viewership rating of 56.1% and became the first Korean production to be broadcast in China. The term "trendy drama" was first used to describe Jealousy. Cultural critic Ha Jae-geun said, “The drama ‘Jealousy’ was not just considered a popular drama, but is accepted as a symbol of an era. It was the beginning of the trendy drama.” Trendy dramas refer to movies or TV dramas that delve into the tastes of the younger people by featuring popular stars as the main characters and depicting city life, cutting-edge fashion, and new generation mindsets. The drama was a breath of fresh air, breaking away from the standard tropes of most dramas of the past. It approached the public from a new perspective, portraying the unique yet realistic lifestyles of young people in their 20s and 30s, and marked the beginning of Korean romantic comedies. For her beauty, acting ability, and relatable portrayal of the lead character, Choi was nicknamed, “The Nation's Sweetheart” and became a beloved national actress. She starred in a string of successful dramas and films in the following years, such as the film Mister Mama (1992) with Choi Min-soo, the MBC melodrama Stormy Season (1993) and the comedy film How to Top My Wife (1994).
In 1994, Choi starred in the film I Wish for What Was Forbidden to Me, which dealt with gender violence and opened a new chapter in the history of Korean feminist films. Choi sought to transform her acting by appearing in socially weighty works and even invested her appearance fee on the film's production costs, as a response to the mounting crisis in Korean cinema concerning underfunded projects. Choi's participation as the lead actress and producer was said to be due to her close relationship with the producers and director, as well as her strong attachment to the role of the main character, Kang Min-ju, who is a villain protagonist. "In order to save Korean cinema, not only producers and directors but also actors need to step up to the plate," Choi said at the time, adding, "I want to show a new image in good films regardless of guarantees." She won Best Actress (Film) at the 30th Baeksang Arts Awards for her performance. She also co-starred with Lee Byung-hun in the SBS drama Scent of Love which recorded high viewership ratings. She won consecutive Top Excellence Awards at the SBS Drama Awards for the two years that she spent at the broadcasting network.
In 1995, she again acted alongside Lee Byung-hun in the romantic comedy film Who Drives Me Crazy and the SBS action drama Asphalt Man, which was one of the major productions of its time. In the second half of 1995, she enrolled in the Department of Performing Arts (Theater and Film) at Chung-Ang University, Graduate School of Arts, to study acting professionally. Choi had a desire to learn acting systematically, starting with breathing and vocalization. She also won the Grand Prize in the CF category at the 1st Korea Model Festival. In November, she received the Best Actress award at the 33rd Grand Bell Awards for the box office hit How To Top My Wife. At the time, she was filming Asphalt Man on location in the U.S., so her mother accepted the award on her behalf.
Exhausted from a series of strong performances since her debut, Choi took time to recharge her energy by reading books and chose a film that was less demanding than television. The film was Ghost Mamma (1996), a huge box office success and was a change of pace from her previous roles, which were mostly comedic and smiley. The film's success led to a flurry of commercials and articles saying, "Choi Jin-sil has hit her second peak". Around the same time, Choi was offered a role in the experimental film Holiday in Seoul by director Kang Woo-seok, who was also the producer of the film. The role of the decadent hotel telephone operator played by Choi was originally intended for actress Kim Nam-joo, but when she dropped out due to a disagreement with the film company, Kang asked Choi, who had always been close to him, to play the role. Kang thanked Choi for her appearance with an unprecedented casting fee.
In 1997, she had top billing in the biggest domestic film of the year, The Letter, and the highest-rated Korean drama of all time, You and I. Another hit drama, Star in My Heart was one of the earlier Korean dramas to air outside Korea and its popularity elevated the main cast to Hallyu stardom (the term Hallyu, 한류, 韓流 comes from Mandarin and was coined in the late 1990s after the show's success in China), marking the first generation of the Korean Wave.
Choi starred in the MBC drama Star in My Heart, which she appeared in despite breaking her contract with SBS. Ten years after her debut, she still maintained her good-natured and vivacious image and made a splendid return to her home MBC. Even though there were sloppy plot developments, Choi's one-two punch portrayal of Lee Yun-hee and Sophia was flawless, with her eyes, tone of voice, body language, and gestures making the characters feel like completely different people. The drama was one of the first Hallyu dramas to become incredibly popular in China.
In November 1997, The Letter was released and became the number one film at the Korean box office from 1997 to 1998. It won the Audience Choice Award for Most Popular Film at the 19th Blue Dragon Film Awards. Gulbongsan Station became a famous landmark when it was used as a filming location. She was cast in the film in April 1997, when Star in My Heart was just getting off the ground. Choi, who immediately warmed to the suspense film Ghost Mama, said of The Letter which embraced the classic melodrama formula, "I'm not really confident in acting crying and weeping, but I responded when I received the script because the story is compelling..."
It was an emotionally demanding project, and when the film was finished and she was exhausted, she was offered a role in MBC's You and I, as career woman Yoon Soo-kyung. The drama aired on weekends from October 1997 to April 1998 and garnered a record-breaking 66.9% viewership rating, making it the highest-rated Korean drama of all time. Choi was recognized for her acting skills as she steadily led the center of the drama for 58 episodes. Appearing in You and I served as an opportunity for her to be highly regarded by her senior actors, establishing herself as a significant actress both in name and reality inside and outside the entertainment industry. She won the Grand Prize at the 1997 MBC Drama Awards at the end of the year by showing both a lively image in a trendy drama and a sophisticated image in a weekend soap opera.
In 1998, Choi published an autobiography Yes, Let's Live Truthfully Today Too, looking back at the change from an ordinary high school graduate to a famous actress. In March 1998, Korea Telecom released a public phone card modeled after Choi for a campaign to overcome the economic crisis. In June, she played advertising agency employee Seo In-young in MBC's Memories, which was originally planned for 16 episodes, but due to viewer ratings, was extended by six more episodes for a total of 22 episodes. It was also the first drama in South Korea to feature a divorced couple as the main characters. In July, she was voted Japan's favorite Korean actress, and in August, she was voted the most popular entertainer in the actor category since the founding of South Korea in a Gallup Korea poll that surveyed men and women aged between 11 and 59 across the country. In the same month, she appeared in a national promotional campaign alongside President Kim Dae-jung and several other famous celebrities, athletes, and literary figures.
In 1999, she received tremendous praise for her acting chemistry with actress Kim Hye-ja, co-starring in the drama Roses and Bean Sprouts, which recorded a highest viewership rating of 44.1%, and the art film Mayonnaise, which won the Grand Prize at the Kerala International Film Festival, marking her breakthrough in art film. Written by Jeon Hye-seong, the author of the original novel, the film deals with the theme of a woman who indulges rather than a woman who sacrifices. Choi had great desire for experimental films, and so she wanted to work with new directors. Mayonnaise was planned with the intention of 'Let all mothers and children in the world see this film’; Kim Hye-ja, who was cast first as the mother, suggested, “It would be good if Jin-sil played the role of the daughter”, and so Choi was cast. The two shared a close relationship, having previously worked together on You and I and Roses and Bean Sprouts.
In 2000, she starred in the fantasy epic Danjeokbiyeonsu, a poorly-received blockbuster, which was the most expensive Korean film ever made at the time. In the same year, she married Cho Sung-min, and their first child, Choi Hwan-hee, was born in 2001. In 2002, Choi played the role of Lee Ok-hwa, a trading company employee in MBC's Since We Met, her first work since marriage. The role centered on the culture shock and ups and downs that Ok-hwa, a Korean-American who grew up and went to college in China, experiences when she comes to Korea. Choi was coached by her friend Jeong Sun-hee to learn how to speak realistic Yanbian dialect, which led to them filming commercials together. In this drama, she again worked with Kim Hye-ja.
She largely stayed out of the limelight, raising her two children during her high-profile divorce saga from 2002 to 2004.
2005–2008: Activities resume
In 2005, she returned with the KBS melodrama My Rosy Life which was a huge success and became one of the highest-rated Korean dramas of all time. Choi reinvented herself as a more approachable middle-aged married woman, gaining six kilograms for the role. The pain and suffering of her character blurred the line between reality and fiction, and her performance aroused empathy from TV audiences; with My Rosy Life, she received the best reviews of her career from viewers and critics alike. She won the Top Excellence Award at the KBS Drama Awards and Best Actress at the 42nd Baeksang Arts Awards, and joined the short list of actresses (and actors) who won the award in both film and television categories. She also ranked first among all genders and age groups in the 'Talent that Shined this Year' survey by Gallup Korea.
Rival network MBC initially wouldn't allow Choi to star in KBS's My Rosy Life, claiming she was still under contract with them to act in 300 drama episodes, of which she had completed 250. They eventually reached an agreement that enabled Choi to make the KBS drama, after which she finished the remainder of her contract by starring in the 2007 MBC drama Bad Woman, Good Woman.
Her last work was Last Scandal (2008), generating many positive reviews from critics and viewers. Through this, Choi, who was the main character of Korea's first trendy drama, also became the main character of the trendy drama for the middle-aged. Although it was a drama aimed at the middle-aged, the audience broadened to include younger generations and gained a lot of popularity among teenagers and those in their 20s. A second season of Last Scandal was being planned for broadcast in November 2008 before her death. She was also an MC in a talk show, Choi Jin-sil 'Truth and Lie in 2008. As it was Choi's first time hosting a show, it received a lot of public attention and was a huge success, and a second season was scheduled. Not only did Choi receive the best treatment in the industry with a higher per-episode appearance fee than Yoo Jae-suk, but she also received the highest level of program publicity.
Status and Recognition
After the 1988 Seoul Olympics, the Korean economy took a leap forward, color TVs became widespread, pop culture came alive, and Choi's image on screen was exquisite. Samsung Electronics used the 1988 Seoul Olympics to boost the popularity of color TVs, and Choi Jin-sil helped the company beat out its competitors to the top spot in home appliance sales.
Ma Jung-mi, a culture researcher and advertising critic, published a book called The Choi Jin-sil Syndrome (Chungha, 1993; ISBN 8940301633). The book analyzes "Choi Jin-sil and eroticism", "The product aesthetic of Choi Jin-sil", "The new generation theory symbolized by Choi Jin-sil," and "The relationship between commercials featuring Choi Jin-sil and capitalism". Ma's cultural analysis focuses on the post-war period as 'before' and the early 1990s as 'after', when Choi began her career as an entertainer. The book, which studied popularity factors for a celebrity, broke new ground in the field of theoretical books analyzing influential stars in popular culture.
In 2011, Ezday surveyed 1,314 netizens on the topic of 'memorable dramas from the 1990s. Jealousy starring Choi Jin-sil and Choi Soo-jong was voted as the 'Most memorable drama' by 20% of respondents, followed closely by Star in My Heart also starring Choi and Ahn Jae-wook with 19% of the votes. For 'Best Actress of the 1990s,' Choi took the top spot with 34% of respondents, followed by Kim Hee-sun, Shim Eun-ha, Shin Ae-ra, Lee Seung-yeon, and Jeon Do-yeon. For 'Best Actor of the 1990s,' Jang Dong-gun was chosen by 21% of respondents.
Personal life
Choi went through many hardships, including poverty, fires, traffic accidents, kidnappings, assaults, robberies, stalking, and the spread of false information that persisted for 20 years.
When she was five years old, her mother, Jung Ok-suk, tired of poverty, took her and her younger brother up the mountain to commit suicide together. Choi Jin-sil asked, “Mom, are we going to die?", "I don’t want to die, I’m scared,” she said, and they returned home crying.
She developed a heart disease as a child but could not get proper treatment due to lack of money.
She has been good at drawing since her childhood, and excelled in physical education while showing her talent in acting as well. When she was in elementary school, she earned her pocket money by drawing cartoons for her friends.
When she was in high school and her family was in dire financial straits, she took rat poison from a pharmacy and slept at her friend's house. She had a stomachache but regained consciousness. The pharmacist noticed that she was having negative thoughts and gave her another medicine, calling it rat poison. She later expressed her gratitude to the pharmacist in her autobiography.
She had a habit of biting her nails until she was 29. During her childhood, when her parents yelled at each other and fought, she could not breathe properly out of fear and developed a habit of biting her nails. She bit her nails while memorizing a script, watching a scary movie, or when she was nervous before filming.
In 1990, she went to Saipan to film a commercial, got into a car accident, and had a leg skin graft surgery. Because of this, she filmed Nambugun with an injury.
In 1994, her former manager Bae Byeong-su, who was an influential figure in the entertainment field, was murdered by her road manager. She was called in as a witness. The incident shocked the Korean public. Rumors circulated that she was implicated in the crime and she was defamed by unspecified individuals.
After her address was exposed, her house has been robbed several times. She suffered anxiety, getting startled seeing the curtains at home fluttering. In 1995, in order to achieve psychological stability and to avoid polarizing fans and thieves, she decided to move out to a residential-commercial complex and appointed security guards.
Lee Juno mentioned that he liked Choi Jin-sil and tried meeting her through a broadcasting representative, but it failed again and again. In the end, an incident occurred in front of her house while Lee was drunk.
She had another traffic accident in 1995 and was often the victim of stalking, having nearly been abducted in 1994 and 1998, where her manager was seriously injured after being stabbed by the criminal.
Marriage and divorce
In 2000, her marriage to Cho Sung-min received widespread attention in South Korea. Cho was a professional baseball player with the Yomiuri Giants of Japan. They first met on a television show in 1998. Choi gave birth to a son (2001) and a daughter Joon-Hee (2003).
Cho insisted that Choi was a blameful spouse through the press without filing a lawsuit for divorce in December 2002. It was senseless act according to South Korean civil law. Choi privately had the consideration period in connection with divorce for about two years from 2002 to 2004. Choi had not been sued for divorce for the period. In September 2004, Choi decided to divorce Cho.
Cho committed a breach of marital fidelity, violence and defamation against Choi for about two years from 2002 to 2004. In addition, Cho borrowed money from Choi's mother and Choi's younger brother and defaulted on the debt; Cho was sued for it by them. In November 2002, Cho physically attacked Choi, who was pregnant at the time with their second child. In August 2004, Cho again assaulted her. The former violence was known to people in December 2002 by Cho and Cho insisted that the violence had been mutual attack to the press. Cho insisted that the latter violence also had been mutual attack. The case was widely publicized in the media.
Choi won the parental rights and child custody over the children on condition of exempting Cho's debt to her mother and brother as well as dropping several charges against Cho. Cho could visit his children regularly according to the mutual agreement. Choi won sole custody. In January 2008, the South Korean family register (hoju) was changed. As a result, children could now use their maternal family name. According to the register, Choi Jin-sil changed her children's surname from "Cho" (paternal family name) to "Choi" (maternal family name).
Cho's qualification as a parental authority was questioned after Choi's death. Cho showed interest in the inheritance left behind by Choi, but past issues were brought up, causing public outrage. In the aftermath, a bill prohibiting the automatic reinstatement of parental rights when one of the divorced parents passes away (aka the Choi Jin-sil law) was enacted, preventing similar incidents from occurring. After Choi's death, her mother managed the inheritance and was awarded custody of the children. The older of the two children is singer Choi Hwan-hee, who goes by the stage name Z.flat and made his debut in November 2020.
Domestic violence
In August 2004, Choi Jin-sil came forward as a victim of domestic violence. Subsequently, an advertiser, Shinhan Engineering and Construction, claimed she had not kept her contractual obligation to "maintain dignity" as she had disclosed to the public her bruised and swollen face which was caused by the violence of her then husband.
On June 4, 2009, the Supreme Court reversed a high court ruling that decided in favor of Choi in a compensation suit filed by the advertiser in 2004 against the actress, who was the model for its apartments. In handing down its ruling, the Supreme Court censured Choi for coming forward and declaring herself a victim of domestic violence, saying it constituted a failure to maintain proper "social and moral honour". Her two children became defendants as heirs.
On June 9, 2009, Korean Womenlink, the Korea Women's Hot Line, and the Korea Women's Association United issued a joint statement lambasting the ruling. Women's groups censured the Supreme Court for not realising the suffering of domestic violence victims, which included Choi. As to the ruling, the groups claimed that revealing the results of domestic violence was not a matter of "dignity" but a matter of "survival". "When a person is suffering, he or she needs to restore their dignity and social honour by disclosing the damage and seeking proper legal help as Choi did", a director of Korean Womenlink said.
Death
Choi was found hanged at her home in Seoul; the cause of death was deemed to be suicide. Police said that Choi had killed herself at around midnight. Her suicide was confirmed by the police. She was survived by her two children, her mother and younger brother Choi Jin-Young, who died by suicide a year and a half later, reportedly due to being severely affected by her demise. Her ex-husband Cho also died by suicide in early 2013 and her last manager, Park, was presumed to die by the same manner later that year. Choi's suicide was linked in the media to a temporary 70% increase in suicide in South Korea, for about a month after her death; police recorded 700 more suicides in that month than would have been typical statistically.
Cause
On September 8, 2008, Ahn Jae-hwan, the husband of popular comedian Jeong Sun-Hee, was found dead in his car. Ahn died by suicide apparently due to distress over mounting debts. Jeong and Choi had been close friends for a long time; at his funeral Choi appeared deeply shaken. Shortly after, rumours circulated on the web that Choi, as a loan shark, had lent a large sum of money to Ahn. On September 22, 2008, Choi sought a police probe into the source of the rumours, calling them groundless. On September 28, 2008, police arrested a securities company employee for spreading the rumours.
Choi suffered greater stress amid rumours circulating on the Internet that she was involved in the suicide of fellow actor Ahn Jae-Hwan.
In response to Choi's death, the South Korean government tried to strengthen a legal push to regulate Internet postings. Politicians have reacted by proposing legislation that would impose a more rigorous real name registration requirement on the Internet and more heightened punishment for libelous statements.
Press reaction
The news of her death was widely reported and large number of reporters rushed to Choi's house to cover the event. Major portal websites blocked online users from leaving comments on articles concerning Choi, fearing that some users might leave malicious comments.
"Almost 80 percent of South Korea's households have broadband access, fostering active online interactions. Most Web sites here have bulletin boards where users can post uncensored, anonymous comments, and nearly all young people run their own blogs, updating via cellphone. Such sites were a major avenue for rumors about the possible dangers of dropping a ban on American beef that fed enormous street protests and political upheaval earlier this year. Major Web portals have in recent years doubled the number of monitors to screen out online character assassination and respond more quickly to complaints of malicious rumors. But many victims still complained that vicious rumors spread so fast their reputations were ruined virtually overnight", The New York Times commented on her death on October 2, 2008.
"She was more than South Korea's Julia Roberts or Angelina Jolie. For nearly 20 years, Choi was the country's cinematic sweetheart and as close to being a 'national' actress as possible. But since her body was found on Oct. 2, an apparent suicide, she has become a symbol of the difficulties women face in this deeply conservative yet technologically savvy society. Her suicide has gripped the nation, dominating headlines as authorities, relatives and even the government try to determine what went wrong. Incessant online gossip appears to have been largely to blame for her death. But it's also clear that public life as a single, working, divorced mom—still a pariah status in South Korea—was one role she had a lot of trouble with", Time commented on her death on October 6, 2008.
Grave and memorial park
After her funeral, Choi was cremated and buried at Gapsan Park Cemetery in Yangpyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do. The gravesite was purchased by the Gangnam Joongang Baptist Church, which Choi attended during her lifetime, and 18 believers, including Choi, are buried here. Her brother Choi Jin-young was buried beside her after he died in 2010. Memorial services were held at Gapsan Park every year until her 10th death anniversary in 2018. After Choi Jin-sil was laid to rest here, it became so popular that there was a long waiting list of more than a month for a plot.
Her heart-shaped tombstone reads, "The sweetheart of all! The lovely girl rests in this place." (만인의 연인! 사랑스러운 그녀 이 곳에 잠들다.) along with an image of her. Around the tomb are autograph books and photos taken throughout her life and career. There is also a dedicated mailbox for fan letters. The large size of the burial vault makes the place feel more like a park than a graveyard.
In the early days after the burial, the grave site is not as spacious as it is today. However, due to the large number of visitors, it became difficult to manage the cemetery, and security needed to be strengthened due to the theft of her urn that occurred in August 2009. Her tomb was remodeled to its current form to coincide with the first anniversary of her death.
Theft of urn
On August 4, 2009, Choi's ashes were stolen from her burial site. The police hunt for a suspect was aided by surveillance camera images showing a man carrying out the theft. On August 26, 2009, the police arrested him and Choi's ashes were found in his home.
Following the theft of the ashes, Gapsan Park was renovated and CCTV around Choi's graveyard was expanded. The charnel was replaced with a cylindrical pillar, which was topped by a sculpture with Choi's face engraved on it. A small memorial park was built near the tomb from which her ashes were stolen. Eighteen pumice stone plaques with posters of Choi's film appearances are displayed, and a small park with a star-shaped sculpture, two tables, and ten stone chairs was set up to honor her memory. After the tomb was reconstructed, it was pointed out that the sculpture of Choi's face was not lifelike, and a mistake was found in the letters inscribed on the sculpture, so it was replaced.
On September 28, 2009, Choi' ashes were reinterred at Gapsan Park. During her lifetime, she had visited the park several times with Choi Jin-young and was very fond of the place, so her brother decided to reinter her ashes in the same location despite the unfortunate incident. Security devices have been installed to prevent a recurrence of the theft, with more surveillance cameras placed around the specially manufactured tomb.
Choi Jin-sil Foundation
Choi was the "big sister" who led the so-called "Choi Jin-sil Association". It was a friendly group of close celebrities that included the comedians Lee Young-Ja and Jeong Sun-Hee, the models Hong Jin-Kyung and Lee So-Ra, and the actresses Choi Hwa-Jung and Uhm Jung-Hwa. After Choi's death, they founded "The Choi Jin-sil Foundation" for charity.
Drama synopsis
The drama synopsis As Life Goes On (사노라면) which Choi Jin-sil had written was found in her home after her death.
Filmography
Film
TV drama
Awards
Film awards
Grand Bell Awards
1991 (29th) - Best New Actress for My Love, My Bride
1993 (31st), 1994 (32nd) - Most Popular Actress
1995 (33rd) - Best Actress for How to Top My Wife
Blue Dragon Film Awards
1990 (11th) - Best New Actress for Nambugun
1990 (11th), 1991 (12th), 1992 (13th), 1993 (14th), 1994 (15th), 1995 (16th), 1997 (18th), 1998 (19th) - Popular Star Award
2008 (29th) - Honorary Popular Star Award
Baeksang Arts Awards
1991 (27th), 1992 (28th) - Most Popular Actress (Film)
1994 (30th) - Best Actress (Film) for I Wish for What Is Forbidden to Me
1995 (31st), 1997 (33rd), 1999 (35th) - Most Popular Actress (Film)
Chunsa Film Art Awards
1990 (1st) - Best New Actress for Nambugun
Korean Association of Film Critics Awards
1991 (11th) - Best New Actress for My Love, My Bride
Golden Cinematography Award
1991 (15th) - Best New Actress for My Love, My Bride
1994 (18th) - Most Popular Star Award
Film nominations
Grand Bell Awards
1994 (32nd) - Best Actress for I Wish for What Is Forbidden to Me
1997 (35th) - Best Actress for Ghost Mamma
Blue Dragon Film Awards
1990 (11th) - Best Supporting Actress for Nambugun
1991 (12th) - Best Actress for Susanne Brink's Arirang
1992 (13th) - Best Actress for The Room in the Forest
1995 (16th) - Best Actress for How to Top My Wife
1997 (18th) - Best Actress for Ghost Mamma
1998 (19th) - Best Actress for The Letter
Baeksang Arts Awards
1991 (27th) - Best New Actress (Film) for Nambugun
1992 (28th) - Best Actress (Film) for Susanne Brink's Arirang
1995 (31st) - Best Actress (Film) for How to Top My Wife
1997 (33rd) - Best Actress (Film) for Ghost Mamma
Broadcasting awards
Baeksang Arts Awards
1993 (29th) - Most Popular Actress (Television) for Jealousy
2006 (42nd) - Best Actress (Television) for My Rosy Life
KBS Drama Awards
1998 - Top Excellence Award, Actress
2005 - Top Excellence Award, Actress; Netizen Award; Best Couple Award
MBC Drama Awards
1993 - Top Excellence Award, Actress for Stormy Season
1997 - Grand Prize (Daesang)
1997 - Top Excellence Award, Actress for Star in My Heart; Best Couple Award
2008 - Achievement Award
SBS Drama Awards
1994 - Top Excellence Award, Actress for Scent of Love
1995 - Top Excellence Award, Actress for Asphalt Man and Jazz
Grimae Awards
1998 - Best Actress for You and I
Korea Broadcasting Association Awards
1998 - Best Actress/Female Talent Award for You and I
Broadcasting nominations
Baeksang Arts Awards
1993 (29th) - Best Actress (Television) for Jealousy
1998 (34th) - Best Actress (Television) for You and I
2007 MBC Drama Awards
Top Excellence Award, Actress for Bad Woman, Good Woman
2008 MBC Drama Awards
Top Excellence Award, Actress for Last Scandal
Best Couple Award
See also
Suicide in South Korea
References
External links
Choi Jin-sil at HanCinema
1968 births
2008 deaths
Actresses from Seoul
South Korean female models
South Korean film actresses
South Korean television actresses
Suicides by hanging in South Korea
Female suicides
Jin-sil
Models from Seoul
Victims of cyberbullying
2008 suicides
Best Actress Paeksang Arts Award (film) winners
Best Actress Paeksang Arts Award (television) winners
Best New Actress Blue Dragon Film Awards winners
Best New Actress for Grand Bell Awards winners
Best Actress for Grand Bell Awards winners