South Korean actor Lee Joo-Sil, known for her role in the second season of "Squid Game," has died at age 81.
The star suffered cardiac arrest at her home in Uijeongbu, South Korea, on Sunday, The Korea Times reported. She was rushed to the hospital but could not be revived. Her death comes three months after she was diagnosed with stomach cancer.
Joo-Sil portrayed Park Mal Soon, the mother of undercover detective Hwang Jun Ho, played by Wi Ha Joon, and stepmother of Hwang In Ho, played by Lee Byung Hun, in the opening two episodes of Season 2 of Netflix's "Squid Game."
Born on March 8, 1944, Joo-Sil kick-started her career in 1964, making her stage debut in 1965 and gaining recognition through lead roles in numerous acclaimed productions, the New York Daily News reported. She also worked as a voice actor before transitioning to television and film. Her notable screen roles included the 2016 zombie thriller "Train to Busan" and the 2020 series "The Uncanny Counter."
Joo-Sil has battled cancer before. After being diagnosed with breast cancer in 1993 and given a year to live, she beat the disease 13 years later.
Despite her health challenges, she continued working and earned a public health doctorate from Wonkwang University.
"Everyone becomes stronger when faced with a crisis," she said in a 2023 interview. "If you let everything go, you become helpless. When I was contacted by a film company to work with them, I said, 'I'm sick,' and they said, 'That's an illness, and we're working.' I was grateful for that kind of thinking."
Joo-Sil also featured in the 2022 drama "It's Beautiful Now," the long-running series "Country Diaries" from 1980 to 2002, and "Beauty and Mr. Romantic." In 2023, she was recognized as Best Supporting Actress at the Wildflower Film Festival, which highlights Korean independent and low-budget films.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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