Yoon Seok-hwa, a leading actor in Korea's theater world known as a "first-generation theater star," died after battling a brain tumor. She was 69.
On the 19th, the Korean Actors Association said Yoon Seok-hwa passed away peacefully around 9 p.m. on the 18th with her family by her side. She had fought the disease since undergoing surgery for a malignant brain tumor in 2022 but ultimately died.
Yoon Seok-hwa, born in Seoul in 1956, debuted in theater in 1975 with the play "Kkulmat" and appeared on the theater scene. She went on to appear in numerous works such as "The Agony and the Ecstasy" (Shin-ui Agnes), "Hamlet," and "A Letter to My Daughter," establishing herself as a stage actor representing the era. With solid acting skills and delicate emotional expression, she earned great respect not only from theater fans but also from younger actors.
After finishing her appearance in the play "Hamlet" in July 2022, the deceased devoted herself to treatment. Even after undergoing surgery for a malignant brain tumor in October of that year, she did not give up her passion for the stage, and in 2023 she made a roughly five-minute guest appearance in "Toccata" at LG Arts Center Seoul, receiving great applause from the audience. That performance ultimately became Yoon Seok-hwa's final stage.
Yoon Seok-hwa was active beyond theater in musicals, drama and film. She showed a distinct presence in musicals such as "The Ladies and the Gentlemen," "Empress Myeongseong," and the drama "The Miracle We Met." She was also deeply interested in theater production and direction, and in 2002 she opened the small theater "Jeongmiso" in Daehangno, Seoul, with architect Jung Woon-gyu, staging works she directed herself such as "Wit" and "19 and 80."
Beyond theater, she founded Deulkot Company in 1995 and was active across the arts, producing the animated film "Hong Gil-dong 95." She was recognized at home and abroad for directing the musical "Saturday Night Fever" and participating in the production of "Top Hat," and "Top Hat" also won the Laurence Olivier Award in the U.K.
Yoon Seok-hwa won the Baeksang Arts Awards' best actress prize four times and swept major theater awards such as the Dong-A Theater Awards, the Seoul Theater Festival and the Lee Hae-rang Theater Awards. She was also recognized for her contributions as an artist with the presidential citation in 2005 and the Korea Culture and Arts Award (theater and dance category) in 2009.
The wake for Yoon Seok-hwa, an actor who defined an era in Korea's theater world, will be held at the funeral hall of Seoul's Sinchon Severance Hospital, and the funeral procession schedule will be announced later.
[Photo] OSEN DB
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