It has already been 11 years since actress the late Kim Ja-ok passed away.
Kim Ja-ok died on Nov. 16, 2014, from complications of lung cancer. She was 63. The late actress, who had undergone colon cancer surgery in 2008, is known to have continued chemotherapy after the cancer metastasized to her lungs. But her condition rapidly worsened, and she ultimately died from complications.
Although more than 10 years have passed since Kim Ja-ok died, the late actress's beautiful smile still occupies the hearts of many.
Appearing on the YouTube channel "Song Seung-hwan's Wonderful Life" in August, Lee Sung-mi confessed her deep bond with the late and senior actress Kim Ja-ok. She said, "Ja-ok unni and I became close while appearing on broadcasts together; she was really funny and lovable. She was so pretty and her smiling face was lovely, so I said, 'Unni, how can you be so pretty?' and she answered, 'I don't wash,' a born actress," smiling.
Lee Sung-mi said she lived in the same apartment as Kim Ja-ok and was a closer-than-anyone neighbor and a solid friend. She recalled their tender friendship, saying, "When I had cancer, unni was the first to text me, 'I'm a senior who had cancer, so tell me if it's hard.' When I was struggling, unni would come; when unni was struggling, I would go to her, and we relied on each other."
Before she died, Kim Ja-ok left Lee Sung-mi a special request. She said, "When I die, I want you to take care of my funeral. Dress me in hanbok. I don't like chrysanthemums, so use roses," so Lee said she dressed her in a hanbok by master Park Sul-nyeo and filled the funeral hall with roses. She added that she also followed the request to "clean my room a bit," and some of the belongings were distributed to juniors, saying she honored the late actress's final wishes.
Kim Ja-ok debuted as part of MBC's second open talent class in 1970. She later appeared in works including Simcheongjeon, Three Men and Three Women, Rural Diary, Rooftop Cat, A Million Roses, Stay Strong, Geum-soon, My Name Is Kim Sam-soon and Coffee Prince.
Even while battling illness, she expressed her passion for acting through shows such as High Kick Through the Roof, Ojakgyo Brothers and The Woman Who Marries Three Times. As a result, after her death she was honored with lifetime achievement awards at the MBC, KBS and SBS drama awards in recognition of her contributions. In addition, in 1996, at the encouragement of singer Tae Jin-ah, she released the single The Princess Is Lonely, which sold about 600,000 copies.
Kim Ja-ok remarried singer Oh Seung-geun and built a family; she had a daughter and a son. Her son, Oh Young-hwan, accepted the lifetime achievement award on her behalf after her death and said, "I thank everyone who remembers my mother."
[Photo] OSEN DB
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