The bond between the late Kim Ja-ok and Kim Tae-wook, who became stars in the sky side by side, is poignantly touching.
Kim Ja-ok passed away on the morning of Nov. 16, 2014, due to complications from lung cancer. She was 63 years old. After undergoing surgery for colon cancer in 2008, she appeared to have recovered her health, but due to a recurrence of cancer, she succumbed while being treated in the intensive care unit of Gangnam Severance Hospital.
Colleagues from the entertainment industry, including comedians Lee Kyung-sil, Kim Ji-sun, Lee Sung-mi, Park Mi-sun, and actors Kang Bu-ja, Na Moon-hee, Yoon So-jung, and Kang Seok-u, mourned deeply as they tearfully bid farewell to the late Kim Ja-ok. Her husband, singer Oh Seung-kun, wept, and her younger brother, news anchor Kim Tae-wook, sent her off with a sorrowful face.
However, less than seven years after Kim Ja-ok's passing, Kim Tae-wook also followed in his sister's footsteps. He was found dead at his home on Mar. 4, 2021. He was 61 years old. The cause of death is still unknown.
The late former news anchor Kim Tae-wook began his career in 1988 at CBS and became a news anchor at KBS as a public recruitment candidate in 1989. He moved to SBS as a first-class public recruitment anchor in 1991, where he hosted 'News and Economic Life' and 'Live Today,' and served as deputy head of SBS's news department before retiring in 2020.
The late Kim Ja-ok debuted as a second-term public recruitment talent at MBC in 1970 and rose to stardom the following year with the KBS drama 'Shim Chung-jeon.' For the next 40 years, she was greatly loved by the public, releasing albums as a singer along with her work in TV dramas and films.
In 1996, she made her debut as a singer at the age of 46 through an album produced by Tae Jin-ah, which became a massive hit. The song was 'The Princess is Lonely.' Kim Ja-ok sang on stage wearing a dazzling dress and tiara crown, causing a nationwide princess syndrome.
Their father was the poet Kim Sang-hwa, who flourished in the cultural arts world from the 1950s to the 1970s.
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