Actor the late Lee Eun-ju died 21 years ago, but the longing for her remains unchanged.
Lee Eun-ju was found dead at her home in Bundang-gu, Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do on Feb. 22, 2005. She was 25. The late actress was reported to have suffered from severe depression.
However, a few days before her death, Lee Eun-ju had attended the graduation ceremony of her alma mater, Dankook University's Department of Theater and Film, so some members of the public could not believe her death.
The late Lee Eun-ju debuted in the entertainment industry after winning an award at a school uniform model contest in 1996. The following year she began her acting career in earnest with the drama "Start," and Lee Eun-ju, who became well known through SBS "KAIST" and MBC "Phoenix," built name recognition and face, and as an actress she also solidified her standing by appearing in a variety of genre films such as Song-eo, Look Back with an Angry Face, Oh! Soo-jung, Going to the Beach, Bungee Jumping of Their Own, Taegukgi: Brotherhood Of War, and A Love Story.
In particular, through Hong Sang-soo's film Oh! Soo-jung, the late actress won the best new actress award at the 38th Grand Bell Awards, showing an extraordinary presence on the screen. She built a solid career by tackling various genres and won the public's love through many characters.
Moreover, as the film Taegukgi: Brotherhood Of War surpassed 10 million viewers, the late Lee Eun-ju had the honor of becoming the first Korean actress in a leading role to achieve a 10 million career. In 2004 she continued her popularity by appearing in the drama "Phoenix" and the film "The Scarlet Letter."
But not long after, news that she had died brought sadness, and the film "The Scarlet Letter" remained her final work. It later emerged that the late actress had long suffered from depression and had received medical treatment for severe insomnia and loss of appetite, which left people feeling numb.
The film industry was also shocked as news spread of the untimely death of one of the era's top actresses. Colleagues including Kim Hye-soo, Jeon Do-yeon, Uhm Ji-won, Kim So-yeon, Son Ye-jin and Kim Min-jeong also expressed their grief and mourned her.
The late Lee Eun-ju, who won both popular and critical acclaim for her delicate and emotional acting, died 21 years ago, yet fans still miss her.
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