Voice actor Kang Hee-sun, 64, who voiced the character Mom of Shinnosuke in the animation 'Crayon Shin-chan', is leaving after 26 years.
Tooniverse posted on its official Instagram on the 1st, "Due to personal circumstances of voice actor Kang Hee-sun, who has been voicing Mom of Shinnosuke and Sang-kyu for a long time, the role of Mom of Shinnosuke has been changed to So-yeon and the role of Sang-kyu to Jeong Yu-jeong."
Kang Hee-sun has voiced Mom of Shinnosuke and Sang-kyu since 'Crayon Shin-chan' first aired as a TV animation on SBS in 1999.
She has been the key voice actor for 'Crayon Shin-chan' for 26 years, contributing to the show's peak popularity, but she is now stepping down. The reason for her departure is believed to be Kang Hee-sun's battle with colon cancer.
On the Tooniverse Instagram post, comments such as "Thank you for voicing Mom of Shinnosuke and Sang-kyu all this time," "I was truly happy thanks to the voice actor all this time," and "I hope you recover quickly so that I can meet you again as Mom of Shinnosuke at least once" appeared.
Meanwhile, it was reported in 2023 that Kang Hee-sun is battling colon cancer. He revealed that cancer that began in his colon has metastasized to his liver, and he has undergone chemotherapy 47 times.
He also mentioned that he continued his voice acting activities, including dubbing, even during his treatment, saying, "I even recorded in the subway from the hospital room because it was short and I had to rush, so I did it with my mobile phone, and there were times I went back to the studio to record after treatment."
He also disclosed that after his surgery, he requested a voice actor change from the producer of 'Crayon Shin-chan', adding, "The (production team) said they would delay the schedule, and since they did that, I couldn't refuse."
Kang Hee-sun said, "If I were this sick and didn't have this, what could I have endured? I thought about that. I love being a voice actor, truly love it. I love the character Mom of Shinnosuke as well, so I think that's why it was possible. I had my will and sense of duty, and honestly, it was a source of support for me."