Actor Moon Ji-yoon has been gone from our side for six years.
March 18, 2026, marks the sixth anniversary of the death of the late Moon Ji-yoon. The deceased passed away on March 18, 2020, from acute sepsis. She was 36.
Moon Ji-yoon developed severe pharyngitis symptoms and was hospitalized, then moved to the intensive care unit with acute sepsis, but her condition worsened and she never recovered. At the time, as COVID-19 was spreading, there was speculation that it might have been a coronavirus infection rather than pharyngitis, but according to her agency, tests conducted at the hospital returned negative.
The entertainment industry fell into a somber mood at the sudden news of Moon Ji-yoon's death. Park Hae-jin, who worked with her on Cheese In The Trap, mourned, saying, "Moon Ji-yoon is remembered as a quiet actor who did her work reliably. I will remember her that way forever," and added, "I pray she rests in peace in a good place."
Ha Jae-sook mourned, saying, "When we first started broadcasting, my younger sibling looked after and worried about me, who knew nothing, and drank soju with me. In heaven, don't be in pain and be at ease. Let's definitely meet again smiling after a long time," and Kim San-ho mourned, saying, "Rest in a peaceful place, Ji-yoon."
Also, actor Kim Jaewon, rapper Hoonihun who is active as a painter, and musical actor Hwang Han-na recalled memories they shared with Moon Ji-yoon and mourned her.
Moon Ji-yoon, who debuted in 2002 with MBC's Romance, appeared in numerous dramas including the films The Merciless: World of Bad Guys, My PS Partner, Twenty, Iljimae, Cheese In The Trap, The Inquiry, Fasten Your Seatbelt Chunhyang, The Disappearance of Mr. Camel, Big, Introducing My Father, Sound of My Heart, Happy Ending for Everyone, How Good Can It Be, Queen Seondeok, May Queen, and Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo.
She particularly became known to the public as the character Sang-cheol in the 2016 broadcast of Cheese In The Trap. Moon Ji-yoon passionately portrayed Kim Sang-cheol, a fourth-year business administration student at Yeon-i University, enhancing immersion with her distinctive character interpretation.
After Moon Ji-yoon's death, her father sent a long letter through the agency that read, "Even I, as her father, still can't believe it, and my heart aches and feels heavy. But because so many people suffered with us, cried with us, and helped us so much during Ji-yoon's passing and the funeral period, I am trying to be strong," evoking sorrow.
[OSEN]