HomeActor/ActressChoi Jin-sil
Choi Jin-sil
최진실
Throughout much of the 1990s Choi was one of the most popular actresses in Korean film. Coincidentally or not, many of her most famous roles were centered in some way around marriage, motherhood, or the image of a wife. Her most famous role came in the 1997 mega-hit The Letter, which was the highest-grossing Korean film of that year.
In early 2000, Choi touched off a media storm with the announcement of her engagement to popular baseball star Cho Sung-min, who used to play in the Japan League. In the two years to follow, however, the couple's deteriorating relationship and divorce became a staple of the local tabloids.
Choi's last feature to date was as "Bee" in the poorly-received blockbuster The Legend of Ginkgo.
<nguyentrangvn>20 days ago (Nov 02, 2008 4:27:11)
you're always so great
Curtain falls on Pusan film fest
The 13th Pusan International Film Festival, which featured 315 films from 60 countries, wraps up its nine-day run today in the southeastern port city of Busan with the closing film "I Am Happy," directed by Korean filmmaker Yoon Jong-chan. Thanks to festival's growing influence as a venue for premiering Asian films, PIFF broadened its scope by selecting a Kazakh film "The Gift to Stalin," and screened 133 world and international premieres, a record. However, there were some concerns about whether the festival would attract as much publicity as it wanted, due to last Thursday's shocking suicide of Choi Jin-sil, one of Korea's most iconic actresses. A host of Korean actors who planned to participate canceled their appearances in Busan. The festival suffered a couple of technical problems last week. At the opening ceremony, some of the microphones and speakers did not work, interrupting operations, and on Saturday a power generator at an outdoor theater broke down, prompting complaints from moviegoers. But the festival managed to regain normal operations over the weekend. One positive development came from the Asian Film Market, the festival's film marketplace that has gone through an extensive overhaul this year. Thanks to an aggressive promotion and operations upgrade, 12 Korean movies were sold at the Asian Film Market. "Secret Sunshine," which earned its star Jeon Do-yeon the best actress award at last year's Cannes Film Festival, and "The Good, The Bad, The Weird," a Korean blockbuster featuring big-name actors, were among the films sold to European and Asian countries. Another positive result from Busan was that Kim Dong-ho, who has been serving as the chief organizer of PIFF for the past 13 years, received the Nielsen Impact Award from the New York-based Nielsen Company. The Hollywood Reporter, the media conglomerate's film industry newspaper, presented the award. "We are pleased to present this award to Kim Dong-ho for the impact he has personally made in bringing Korean films to the world, and, in doing so, bridging cultures and promoting tolerance and understanding," said Eric Mika, publisher of the Hollywood Reporter. As part of efforts to bolster Busan's role as a hub of films in connection with PIFF, the city began the construction for a film center, "Dureraum," which means "together" in Korean, a project that is estimated to cost 162.4 billion won ($133 million). The center, designed by Austrian architect Coop Himmel, will sport six theaters, a museum, exhibition halls and other auxiliary facilities in order to serve as a key venue to educate young filmmakers attending PIFF as well as the Asian Film Academy, which is part of the festival. Some of Asia's most celebrated stars, including many leading Korean actors, joined the festival. The guest list includes top Japanese actress Juri Ueno, who is widely popular both in Korea and Japan for her comic role in the Japanese television drama "Nodame Cantabile," and Li Xiaolu, one of the four little empresses of China. Many directors and programmers from the world's major film festivals, including Cannes festival director Thierry Fremaux and Sundance festival director Geoffrey Gilmore also dropped by at the festival. Leading Korean actors Cho Jae-hyun and Ye Ji-won will host the closing ceremony to be held at the Yachting Center at 7 p.m. today. About 5,000 patrons are expected to join the closing show where "I Am Happy," starring Hyun Bin and Lee Bo-yeong, will be screened, and the winner of the New Currents, the festival's sole competition section, will be announced.
PIFF Wraps Up 9-Day Run
The 13th Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF) closed Friday with the premiere of the South Korean film ``I Am Happy'' directed by Yoon Jong-chan. This year's festival featured the largest number of films and world premiers, receiving good response from audiences. But the festival, the largest of its kind in Asia, has an air of calm rather than extravagance. Asia's largest cinematic event featured a record number 315 films from 60 countries, including 85 world premieres and 95 Asian premiers at 37 theaters over the nine-day run. The variety of films led to large audience figures. According to PIFF organizers, a total of 198,818 people participated in the event, slightly up from last year. ``This year's festival was exceptionally calm. It's because the festival has grown up over the 13 years and the sectional theaters reduced visitors' confusion,'' Kim Dong-ho, the festival director, said in a press conference before the closing ceremony. Also, Kim and veteran French actress Anna Karina, who served as the head of the New Currents jury, announced the winners of the New Currents award ― Korean director Roh Gyeong-tae's "Land of Scarecrows" and Japanese director Ichii Masahide's " Naked of Defences." ^The winning films were selected from 14 New Currents candidates which represent the works of young filmmakers from across the region including films from Iran and Indonesia. The award was designed to help aspiring young filmmakers realize their cinematic dreams. The winners will be given $30,000 prize money to help fund their next projects. This year's festival started off on a sad note with the shocking news of the death of top star Choi Jin-sil on the opening day, and small technical problems were experienced in several small events at the beginning. Also, the festival seemed depressed due to the recent slackening of the local film industry, with the larger film production and distribution companies sharply reduced this year. However, the festival drew international attention as world cinematic stars such as Japanese actress Juri Ueno, Korean-descent Hollywood stars Moon Bloodgood, James Kyson Lee, Aaron Yoo, and Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar-wai graced the festival. During the festival, ``The Good, The Bad, The Weird,'' a Korean blockbuster movie, drew the highest popularity in a meeting with fans who gathered to see Jung Woo-sung, Song Kang-ho and Lee Byung-hun. In the Asian Film Market, ``Secret Sunshine'' directed by Lee Chang-dong featuring the Cannes award-winning actress Jeon Do-yeon, was sold to Germany, while ``The Good, The Bad, The Weird'' directed by Kim Ji-woon were sold to Hong Kong and Sweden. Actor Cho Jae-hyun and actress Ye Ji-won hosted the closing ceremony Friday evening. The closing film, ``I Am Happy'' about a dejected patient (hallyu star Hyun Bin) and heartbroken nurse (actress Lee Bo-young) who meet in a psychiatric ward, wrapped up the festival.
Choi Jin-sil leaves behind tragic legacy
The nation was thrown into shock yesterday at the news of the death of Choi Jin-sil, Korea's iconic actress and the people's sweetheart. Choi, who took her own life at the age of 39, was one of Korea's most loved actresses, having starred in numerous hit TV series and movies. She was praised for her ageless appearance and celebrated acting skills. But her hard-won glitz and fame was also shadowed by scandals, such as an ugly divorce in 2004. Her tragic death came after being involved in a rumor surrounding the death of actor Ahn Jae-hwan, who also committed suicide last month. Raised by a single mother in a down-and-out household, Choi first entered the entertainment business in the late 1980s through her younger brother Choi Jin-young, who was a model at the time. Upon her first role in a periodic MBC TV drama series in 1988, Choi rapidly rose to stardom. One of her biggest hits was a television commercial for Samsung Electronics Co. where she used a catch phrase that said she had her (virtual) husband in the palm of her hands. She went on to star in the movies "My Love, My Bride" (1990) and "Mr. Mama" (1992), as well as TV drama series "Our Paradise" in 1990. Choi's biggest break came in 1992, when she acted as a spunky travel agent in "Jealousy," aired on MBC. The mega-hit series was considered a harbinger of the country's now globally popular dramas. Choi's following roles were also vastly popular including "Wish Upon a Star" (1996), and the movies "How to Top My Wife" (1994) and "The Letter" (1997). She won numerous awards throughout her career, including the breakthrough role awards at Daejong Film Awards, Chunja Film Festival and the Blue Dragon Awards in 1991. In 1995, she won best actress awards at Daejong Film Awards and PaekSang Arts Awards in 1991, 1995 and 1997. She was awarded best MBC award in 1997 and best female talent award by Korea Broadcasting Prizes in 1998. Choi was also well-known among the fans for her rags-to-riches story, which she said enabled her family to stay close. Choi's first run-in with public tragedy was the death of her former manager Bae Byoung-soo in 1994. Bae, who put Choi on the map, was killed by Choi's then-driver. The actress was summoned for a court hearing as a witness. At the height of her career in 2000, Choi married professional baseball player Cho Sung-min, drawing massive media attention. It was called the wedding of the century. The marriage, however, was rocky and they split in 2002. The couple, who had a son and a daughter together, remained separated until August 2004, when Cho was arrested for domestic violence. The two were officially divorced a month later and Cho gave up rights to his children in exchange for being removed from his obligation to pay off debts to Choi and her family. Upon the divorce, Choi was forced to stay out of the limelight. A construction company that hired her as a spokesperson filed for damages worth 3 billion won, citing "damages to the company image for failing to manage her personal life properly." Rising again, Choi returned to the small screen in 2005, taking the role of a divorced woman earning her living despite being diagnosed with cancer in "My Rose Life." She won PaekSang Arts' best actress award for the role that tugged the heartstrings of viewers nationwide. Her recent works included "Bad Woman, Good Woman" in 2007 and "The Last Scandal of My Life" this year. "Scandal" about a middle-aged superstar falling for his first love again was a huge hit, prompting the so-called "jumderella" syndrome, a combination of Cinderella and "ajumma," or a middle-aged Korean woman. Recently, Choi was preparing for the second season of "Scandal." She was also hosting her own talk show for a cable channel. Choi made headlines earlier this year for succeeding in changing the surnames of her two children to her's. Her son is 7 and daughter is 5. She was most recently involved in rumors surrounding the death of Ahn Jae-hwan, who committed suicide last month after allegedly suffering from heavy debt. Ahn was also a husband of Choi's close friend, comedian Jung Sun-hee. Choi was found by her mother early yesterday morning in her home in southern Seoul, an apparent suicide by hanging.
Top Actress Choi Jin-sil Found Dead at Home
Top actress Choi Jin-sil was found dead Thursday morning in her home in what appears to be a suicide. She was found in a shower booth with pressure band wrapped around her neck. Police says that her body was discovered by her family member at 6:15 and police arrived at the scene around 7:30. No suicide note was found. The details and circumstances of her death are still being investigated. Choi has been under enormous pressure lately from rumors implicating her in the suicide death of TV actor Ahn Jae-hwan, husband of Choi’s close friend, comedienne Jung Sun-hee. Internet postings accused Choi of lending about 2 million dollars to Ahn, indirectly driving him to his death. Police arrested a 25-year-old securities firm employee in late September for initiating the false rumor in cyber space. Choi debuted in 1988 on a TV historical drama and since then has played numerous leading roles in both TV and films. She rose to stardom in the romantic TV drama “Jealousy” in 1992, and starred in such hits as “You and Me,” “Bad Woman, Good Woman,” “Rose and Bean Sprouts,” and “My Rosy Life.” Her latest starring role was in “The Last Scandal of My Life” the spring of 2008, which put her back in the limelight as the most bankable middle-aged star. While enjoying professional success, her personal life, on the other hand, has been full of ups and downs. She married then baseball star Cho Sung-min in December 2000, but divorced him five years later. They have two children, whose last name was changed from “Cho” to their maternal sir name “Choi” this year. Well-known for her fierce loyalty and strong friendship with a small group of celebrities, which include comediennes Jung Sun-hee and Lee Young-ja and models Lee So-ra and Hong Jin-kyung among others, she was apparently devastated by the death of Ahn and the ensuing rumors. The general public suspects that the stress from the recent string of events pushed her over the edge and prompted her to take her own life. Her body is currently at rest in Samsung Medical Center in southern Seoul.
'90s TV Icon Discovered Dead in Her Apartment
Top Korean actress Choi Jin-shil has been found dead in her Jamwon-dong apartment in Seoul. According to police, Choi was found dead by her mother on the morning of October 2 at 6:15 a.m. The police are currently investigating the details of the ....
`Last Scandal': A New Drama of Strong Spirited Ajumma
Dramas have always been the center of attention among Koreans with their cheerful characters played by young, hip and stylish celebrities. This year, the fever will go on, but this time it will be led by none other than ``ajumma.'' ``Ajumma'' ....
