ID :
22334
Thu, 10/02/2008 - 13:30
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/22334
The shortlink copeid
Star actress Choi Jin-sil found dead at home in apparent suicide
SEOUL, Oct. 2 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's iconic actress Choi Jin-sil was found dead in her home in what appears to be a suicide, police said Thursday, amid reports that malicious rumors had weighed heavily on the star.
Choi's mother found the actress, 40, with an elastic band around her neck tied
to a shower stall in her home in southern Seoul at 6:15 a.m., officers at the
Seocho Police Station said.
"Given the results of an examination that spotted no trace of physical trauma on
her body, we came to the conclusion that it is a suicide," Yang Jae-ho, a
criminal investigations officer at the Seocho Police Station, told reporters.
No suicide note has been found, but Choi sent two text messages to her makeup
assistant at around midnight asking her to take care of her two children, Yang
said.
Police have been investigating rumors that linked Choi to the recent suicide of
Ahn Jae-hwan, an actor and the husband of popular comedian Jung Sun-hee. Ahn's
large amount of debt from his failing business is believed to the chief factor
behind his death.
Rumors have since circulated on the Web that Choi, a longtime friend of Jung, had
lent a large sum of money to Ahn. Choi sought a police probe into the source of
the rumors, calling them groundless. Police arrested a securities company
employee this week on allegations of spreading the rumors that Choi lent 2.5
billion won (US$2 million) to Ahn.
The previous day, the actress came to a studio to shoot a commercial, but the
shoot was canceled halfway through, with Choi saying she didn't feel well,
according to Choi's co-star Sohn Hyun-joo from the drama series "What Husband And
Wife Live By."
"From the moment she came onto the set, she looked very weary. Her face looked
really bad and she found it difficult to continue and had to stop after two
hours," Sohn said.
The police officer said Choi had come home drunk at midnight Wednesday and poured
out her agony to her mother, saying she was saddened by the people who spread the
rumors and that she had nothing to do with the money lent to Ahn.
Since her debut in 1988, Choi swiftly climbed the career ladder to become a
household name, clinching main roles in soap operas, movies and commercials and
winning awards. Her cheerful demeanor and versatile talents brought her the
nickname "The People's Star."
But her life took a tumultuous turn when her outwardly impeccable marriage to pro
baseball player Cho Sung-min ended in an ugly divorce in 2004. The actress had
reportedly taken medications for depression since.
Choi is survived by two children.
Choi's mother found the actress, 40, with an elastic band around her neck tied
to a shower stall in her home in southern Seoul at 6:15 a.m., officers at the
Seocho Police Station said.
"Given the results of an examination that spotted no trace of physical trauma on
her body, we came to the conclusion that it is a suicide," Yang Jae-ho, a
criminal investigations officer at the Seocho Police Station, told reporters.
No suicide note has been found, but Choi sent two text messages to her makeup
assistant at around midnight asking her to take care of her two children, Yang
said.
Police have been investigating rumors that linked Choi to the recent suicide of
Ahn Jae-hwan, an actor and the husband of popular comedian Jung Sun-hee. Ahn's
large amount of debt from his failing business is believed to the chief factor
behind his death.
Rumors have since circulated on the Web that Choi, a longtime friend of Jung, had
lent a large sum of money to Ahn. Choi sought a police probe into the source of
the rumors, calling them groundless. Police arrested a securities company
employee this week on allegations of spreading the rumors that Choi lent 2.5
billion won (US$2 million) to Ahn.
The previous day, the actress came to a studio to shoot a commercial, but the
shoot was canceled halfway through, with Choi saying she didn't feel well,
according to Choi's co-star Sohn Hyun-joo from the drama series "What Husband And
Wife Live By."
"From the moment she came onto the set, she looked very weary. Her face looked
really bad and she found it difficult to continue and had to stop after two
hours," Sohn said.
The police officer said Choi had come home drunk at midnight Wednesday and poured
out her agony to her mother, saying she was saddened by the people who spread the
rumors and that she had nothing to do with the money lent to Ahn.
Since her debut in 1988, Choi swiftly climbed the career ladder to become a
household name, clinching main roles in soap operas, movies and commercials and
winning awards. Her cheerful demeanor and versatile talents brought her the
nickname "The People's Star."
But her life took a tumultuous turn when her outwardly impeccable marriage to pro
baseball player Cho Sung-min ended in an ugly divorce in 2004. The actress had
reportedly taken medications for depression since.
Choi is survived by two children.
