From the late Song Do-soon to the late Kim Young-in, major stars have fallen since the start of 2026.
Four days into 2026, the entertainment industry is receiving sad news. The first was voice actor Song Do-soon, who passed away on Dec. 31 last year after battling a chronic illness.
Song Do-soon, who died at the age of 76, was born in 1949 and began her voice acting career in 1967 when she joined the TBC voice actor troupe as part of its third class. After the 1980 media consolidation, she continued her activities as part of the KBS voice actor troupe's ninth class and performed roles such as Cruella de Vil in the animation 101 Dalmatians and narration for MBC's Tom and Jerry.
Especially from 1990 through the late 2000s, Song Do-soon, who hosted TBS Radio's Together on the evening road and was loved for her familiar voice, also appeared on entertainment programs such as Se-bakwa and the empathy talk show Come to play. In recognition of these contributions, she was awarded the Bogwan Cultural Medal at the 2020 Korea Popular Culture and Arts Awards.
After news of Song Do-soon's death was reported, singer Namgung Ok-boon recalled, "She was an older sister who always stayed by my side with great resonance." He reflected on the times and memories they shared and said with regret, "A person so precious left far too soon," and comedian Kim Dae-beom paid tribute, "To Song Do-soon, whose wonderful voice gifted me beautiful childhood memories, please let many good voices be heard in heaven. Thank you for everything."
Three days after the news of Song Do-soon's death, veteran actor Kim Young-in passed away. According to the bereaved family, Kim Young-in died at 6:55 a.m. that day. He was 82.
Born in 1943 in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi Province, Kim Young-in, who graduated from Gyeonggi Commercial High School and Hanyang University with a degree in history, took up a variety of sports such as hockey, rugby and boxing during his school years and became immersed in martial arts, which led him to step into Chungmuro. In 1961, doubling for the protagonists' action scenes in director Kim Ki-duk's film Five Marines, he earned the nickname the "flying actor" and left a strong impression as an original stuntman.
Starting from there, Kim Young-in appeared in films such as Eomyeong, Silrok Kim Du-han, Dongbaek Flower Gentleman, With No Blood and Tears, Arahan: The Martial Arts Movie, The Fist Cries, Dajja-mawa Ri: Villain, Board the Hell-bound Express, and in dramas such as No Wind Zone, Im Ggeok-jeong, Tears of the Dragon, The King and Queen, Taejo Wang Geon, The Woman Who Married for Power, Shindon, Kim Sooro, and The Untold Story of Korean Politics. In recognition of these contributions, he received the special acting award at the 43rd Grand Bell Awards in 2006.
With voice acting patriarch Song Do-soon and broadcasting patriarch Kim Young-in having passed away, actor Ahn Sung-ki, who has been hospitalized in the intensive care unit after a sudden deterioration in health, is in critical condition. He has been in critical condition for six days, and his eldest son returned from the United States to stay by his side. Public waves of support for him have continued.
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