Three years have passed since comedian the late Seo Se-won died.
The late Seo Se-won suddenly died on April 20, 2023, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
The late Seo Se-won, who debuted in the entertainment industry through the 1979 TBC radio gag contest, gained great popularity through Yeong 11, Youth March, and Sunday night parade. Afterward, he achieved box office success with his namesake talk show The Seo Se-won Show, and he continued to be active as a host. In addition, he produced the film Mobster's Wife, which was a huge hit, and in 2010 he attended a theological seminary and made a fresh start as a pastor.
In particular, the late Seo Se-won married broadcaster Seo Jeong-hee in 1982 and had a daughter, Seo Dong-ju, and a son, Seo Jong-woo, but they divorced in 2015. The following year he remarried a woman 23 years younger, and he emigrated to Cambodia with his youngest daughter and lived in Phnom Penh.
Even in Cambodia, the late Seo Se-won served as a pastor at a church and carried out pastoral activities, and news that he suddenly died at a Korean hospital located in Phnom Penh shocked people. At the time of death, the late Seo Se-won was receiving an intravenous injection, and it was reported that he died of shock.
Oh Chang-soo, president of the Korean Missionary Association in Cambodia, told OSEN over the phone, "It is true that Seo Se-won died. At 1 a.m. Cambodia time, 3 a.m. Korean time, he was receiving an IV at a hospital in Cambodia and died of shock," and added, "In Cambodia, the level of hospital doctors and facilities are not like Seoul, so there are occasional accidents where an IV is inserted incorrectly and someone dies," expressing cautious thoughts.
The deceased suffered from diabetes as a chronic illness during his lifetime, and it was reported that his health was poor due to complications. His daughter, Seo Dong-ju, went to Cambodia and confirmed the late Seo Se-won's death, and because of the poor conditions of the local refrigerated mortuary and the complicated transport procedures, cremation was carried out in Cambodia. The deceased's ashes were repatriated to Korea, and the funeral was held with many junior comedians in attendance.
However, controversy arose as various questions were raised about the cause of the late Seo Se-won's death. There were testimonies claiming that the late Seo Se-won received propofol, not a vitamin injection, at the time of death. But because a proper autopsy or investigation by local police was not conducted, there are claims that it was concluded to be "cardiac arrest due to diabetes."
In response, former president of the Korea Association in Cambodia Park Hyun-ok denied the "propofol administration theory," saying, "That is not true. I saw it with my own eyes. When I arrived at the hospital, he had an IV in his arm and it was orange." Amid conflicting testimonies and rampant suspicions, no clear cause of death has been revealed, and the late Seo Se-won was laid to rest. His daughter Seo Dong-ju also expressed frustration, saying, "I am not questioning who the first reporter was, whether they took the IV and fluids, whether they took the nurse's statement, or whether they tested for drugs (or poisons). I want to ask common-sense questions. But all I hear is that 'he received an IV and passed away.'"
After the late Seo Se-won's death, Seo Jeong-hee expressed her candid feelings through social media and variety programs. Having suffered from the late Seo Se-won's infidelity and domestic violence before their divorce, and battling cancer, Seo Jeong-hee had to endure one hardship after another, including the late Seo Se-won's death. She spoke of her complicated feelings about his death, saying, "It was very heartbreaking," and "The bitterness from the hardships up to now hasn't completely gone away, but I also thought, 'If he had lived with me, he wouldn't have died.'"
Seo Dong-ju, who sat down in front of the late Seo Se-won's casket and sobbed, also said, "When I think of my father, feelings of love and hate came together. I loved him very much but resented him; I didn't want to resemble him, yet I did resemble him," and added, "Family, regardless of what the family relationship was like, seems to be sad. Of course I have had times when I kept silent. And for various reasons, reasons I can't talk about on broadcasts. People see a small part of the iceberg, but underneath there are huge stories. We all live without saying everything. Because of those things, I thought, 'Wouldn't it be natural not to be sad?' but still I was sad," repeatedly expressing ambivalent feelings.
[Photo] OSEN DB
[OSEN]