Six days into 2026, the entertainment industry is in mourning after lovers received the sad news.
On the 1st, the death of voice actress Song Do-soon was reported. Song Do-soon died on Dec. 31 last year after battling a chronic illness. She was 76.
Song Do-soon, who began her voice acting career after joining the TBC voice acting troupe as part of the class of 1967, continued her work as a member of the KBS voice acting troupe as part of the class of 9 after the 1980 media consolidation. She voiced Cruella de Vil in the animation "101 Dalmatians" and provided narration for MBC's "Tom and Jerry." Especially from 1990 through the late 2000s, Song Do-soon hosted TBS Radio's "Evening walk together," becoming beloved for her familiar voice, and she also appeared on variety programs such as "Three Wheels" and "Come to empathic talk show." In recognition of these contributions, she received the Bogwan Culture Medal at the 2020 Korea Popular Culture and Arts Awards.
Following Song Do-soon, veteran actor Kim Young-in passed away. According to the bereaved family, Kim Young-in died at 6:55 a.m. on the 4th. He was 82.
Born in 1943 in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi Province, Kim Young-in graduated from Gyeonggi Commercial High School and Hanyang University with a degree in history. During his school years he practiced various sports such as hockey, rugby and boxing, and his immersion in martial arts led him to enter Chunmuro. In 1961, while doubling for the protagonists' action scenes in director Kim Ki-duk's film "Five Marines," he earned the nickname "flying actor," and he appeared in films such as "Eomyeong," "The Chronicle of Kim Du-han," "Gentleman of the Camellia," "Without Blood or Tears," "Arahan: The Wind of Dragon," "The Fist Weeps," "Dachimawa Lee: Villain, Take the Express Train to Hell," and in dramas such as "Zone of Silence," "Im Kkeok-jeong," "Tears of the Dragon," "The King and the Queen," "Taejo Wang Geon," "Ladies of the Palace," "Shin Don," "Kim Sooro," and "The Untold Story of Korean Politics."
Ahn Sung-ki, who had been transported to hospital in cardiac arrest and received treatment, died on the sixth day, on the 5th. He died in the intensive care unit of Soonchunhyang University Hospital in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, while his family watched. He was 74.
Ahn Sung-ki made his first step into film as a child actor in director Kim Ki-young's 1957 film "Hwanhon Train," and after leaving the film industry for military service and other reasons, he returned as an adult actor in 1977 through "Soldiers and Ladies." He later starred in films such as "A Petal," "No Blood, No Tears," "Chihwaseon," "Silmido," "Arahan: The Wind of Dragon," "Korean Peninsula," "Radio Star," "The Myth of the Forgotten," "Oasis of Splendor," and "The Broken Arrow."
With three stars leaving us in rapid succession, news of the death of singer Jinde-nim was also reported. According to Jinde-nim's younger sister, the deceased died on Dec. 17 last year from a fall caused by a medical condition. She was 29.
Jinde-nim had suffered from bipolar mood disorder since 2015 and was also known to have experienced psychotic symptoms. The bereaved family said the cause of death was an accident due to a medical condition, not suicide, and said, "Her symptoms recently deteriorated rapidly to a state that could not be controlled by family help alone." Jinde-nim dropped out of Fudan University in China and gained recognition in 2016 through busking in Hongdae.
Jazz saxophonist and composer Lee Soo-jung, who had also appeared on SBS's "Amazing Competition Star King," has died. According to the bereaved family, Lee Soo-jung passed away on the 4th. She was 27.
Lee Soo-jung gained attention as a jazz prodigy after appearing on broadcasts such as SBS's "Amazing Competition Star King" in 2010. Having won various competitions and being recognized as a promising jazz saxophonist, she was selected as one of only seven presidential scholars at the Berklee College of Music in the United States. Fans were also shocked by Lee Soo-jung's sudden death; she had sent New Year's greetings to fans via her social account on the first day of 2026.
With mournful news continuing at the start of 2026, the entertainment industry is in mourning.
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