 |
| Actress Kang Soo-yeon was taken to a hospital after suffering a sudden cardiac arrest and intracerebral hemorrhage. Korea Times file |
Veteran actress in hospital after cardiac arrest
By Lee Gyu-lee
The film industry and fans are pouring out messages of support for award-winning actress Kang Soo-yeon, wishing her recovery, as she remains unconscious after suffering a cardiac arrest at her home on Thursday.
Kim Dong-ho, the former executive committee member of the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), who is a friend of the actress, reportedly rushed to the hospital where Kang was transferred.
"Her doctor informed the family that her condition might not get better even if she undergoes surgery, so they haven't decided whether to proceed with it," he told local media.
Adding that he met Kang about a week ago, Kim said, "She seemed to be fine … She would go to the hospital for checkups but she wasn't sick. I heard that she was planning to visit the United States soon."
The actress finished filming director Yeon Sang-ho's new Netflix film "Jung-E" earlier this year, appearing in a film for the first time in nine years. The director also expressed his wishes for Kang's fast recovery to local news outlets.
"She was healthy when we were filming. And when we met very recently for ADR (automated dialogue replacement) recording, she was in a good shape," he said. "I believe all the film industry people will be praying. I am, too."
Fellow actor Han Ji-il, who co-starred with Kang in the 1989 film "Come Come Come Upward," also wrote on his social media, "Please pray so she can recover and be with her fans again."
Her fans also expressed concerns, leaving comments online praying for her recovery.
"I hope they didn't miss the golden hour since her family reported the emergency quickly. I hope she gets well," a user wrote on an online community.
Another user wrote: "I was waiting for her comeback with the Netflix film. How could this happen?"
The 55-year-old actress was found unconscious at her house in Gangnam-gu, southern Seoul, and was taken to a hospital at around 5:40 p.m. Thursday after her family called an ambulance. She apparently suffered an intracerebral hemorrhage and remains unconscious.
Kang debuted as a child actress at the age of three. She became globally acclaimed after playing the lead in director Im Kwon-taek's film "The Surrogate Woman" in 1987, winning the Best Actress award at the Venice Film Festival that year.
She became the first Korean actor to notch the honor from one of the big three globally prestigious film festivals ― Venice, Berlin, and Cannes.
Kang also won the best actress award from the Moscow International Film Festival for her performance in director Im's 1989 film "Come Come Come Upward."
She has received numerous accolades locally and abroad with her roles across films and TV series, including the 1999 crime film "Rainbow Trout" and the 2001 hit period series "Ladies of the Palace." She also served as a committee member of the BIFF from 2015 to 2017.
Kang had been on hiatus after starring in a short film called "Jury" in 2013 and was set to return to the screen with Yeon's upcoming sci-fi film playing the lead role.
