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| yna@yna.co.kr 2025-12-19 18:06:52
SEOUL, Dec. 19 (Yonhap) -- Actress Yoon Seok-hwa, widely regarded as a first-generation star of South Korea’s theater scene, died Friday while battling a brain tumor. She was 69.
According to theater officials, Yoon passed away at 9:54 a.m. at Severance Hospital in Sinchon, Seoul, surrounded by family members and close acquaintances.
Yoon had been undergoing treatment since October 2022, when she underwent surgery for a malignant brain tumor following her appearance in the play “Hamlet” in July that year. After publicly disclosing her illness, she made a brief, five-minute special appearance in the play “Toccata” at LG Arts Center Seoul in 2023, which became her final stage performance.
Born in Seoul in 1956, Yoon made her debut in 1975 with the play “Sweet Taste.” She rose to prominence through acclaimed stage works such as “Agnes of God,” “Hamlet” and “A Letter to My Daughter,” leading the popularity of theater during her prime.
She is remembered as the first true star of Korean theater, establishing herself as one of the leading female actors alongside senior actresses Son Sook and Park Jung-ja. Her popularity extended beyond the stage, including appearances in television commercials, where her line “I’m actually a gentle woman” became a catchphrase.
In “A Letter to My Daughter” (1992), she portrayed Melanie, a jazz singer, and in “Master Class” (1998), she took on the role of opera legend Maria Callas. In a notable later-career performance, she played Ophelia, Hamlet’s lover, in the 2016 production of “Hamlet” at the age of 60.
Beyond theater, Yoon was active across genres, appearing in musicals such as “Guys and Dolls” (1994) and “The Last Empress” (1995), as well as the television drama “The Miracle We Met” (2018).
She was also deeply involved in theater production and directing. The small theater “Jeongmiso,” which she opened in 2002 in Seoul’s Daehangno district with architect Jang Yoon-kyu, became a hub for experimental theater. Until its closure in 2019 due to financial difficulties, the venue staged innovative works such as “19 and 80” and “Wit.”
Yoon directed the musical “Saturday Night Fever,” and “Top Hat,” a production she participated in, won the Laurence Olivier Award in the United Kingdom. She also founded the comprehensive entertainment company Dolkkot Company in 1995, producing the animated film “Hong Gil-dong 95,” and in 1999 took over the struggling performing arts monthly magazine Gaeokseok, serving as its publisher.
An advocate for adoption, Yoon adopted both a son and a daughter and regularly organized charity concerts to raise funds and promote adoption awareness.
Over her career, she won the Baeksang Arts Award for Best Actress four times, along with the Dong-A Theater Award, honors from the Seoul Theater Festival, and the Lee Hae-rang Theater Award. She received a presidential commendation in 2005 and the Korea Culture and Arts Award in the theater and dance category in 2009.
A funeral altar will be set up at Severance Hospital’s funeral hall. She is survived by her husband, Kim Seok-ki, a former head of Joongang General Finance, as well as their son and daughter.
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