Choi Jin-sil

In 1987, Choi graduated from Seonil Girls' High School. She could not afford to enter art school, so she got a job at a hotel in Seoul, right after graduation. However, she could not give up on her acting dreams and quit the hotel in 1988 and went on a two-month hunger strike. After a while, their mother surrenders and her brother helps her. Her brother, who was a senior in high school, had been working as an advertising model since his freshman year. He personally took her portfolio pictures and visited modeling agencies with her.[8] Eventually, she got an offer and began in Korea's entertainment circles as an advertising film model. She began to gain celebrity status in an advertising campaign for Samsung Electronics in which she acted as a newly wedded housewife.[9][10][11] Her appearance caused great reactions not only among the public, but also in the advertising and entertainment industries. The "Choi Jin-sil Syndrome" was called a cultural phenomenon and casting offers poured in.[8][12]

In 1988, she became a TV actress starring in the MBC historical drama, 500 Years of Joseon. Her first film was Nambugun: North Korean Partisan in South Korea (1990), and her performance in the film won her the Best New Actress awards at the 11th Blue Dragon Film Awards and Chunsa Film Art Awards. In the same year, she played the leading role in the hit movie My Love, My Bride (1990) and won Best New Actress at the 29th Grand Bell Awards and the Korean Association of Film Critics Awards, establishing her as an advertising model-turned film actress.[1]

In 1991, she played the role of high school student Da-hye in the teen film You Know What? It's a Secret 2 about the 1980s generation that liberalized school uniforms, followed by the role of Susanne Brink (real name: Shin Yu-sook), a religious studies student at Uppsala University in Sweden, in Susan Brink's Arirang, a film about international adoption of South Korean children. The film was shot on location in Sweden. Choi's intimate portrayal of the adopted child impressed many audiences and earned her critical acclaim, including nominations for Best Actress at the Blue Dragon Film Awards and Baeksang Arts Awards. While living in Sweden during the filming of the movie, Choi experienced the country's gender-equal family culture and took the opportunity to grow as an actress by acting in Swedish and trying out a role she hadn't done before. Her films succeeded in the box office, catapulting Choi to the top within two years of her debut. She was described as 'Chungmuro's money-making machine'; ' the Choi Jin-sil Syndrome, the duck that lays golden eggs'. In November 1991, Choi became the second celebrity to appear in the MBC documentary Age of Humanity after national actor Ahn Sung-ki. The broadcast became a huge success with 43% viewership, and Choi gained national favor with the public, across all generations, with her previously unseen image of a friendly commoner through Age of Humanity: The Truth About Choi Jin-sil. The title is wordplay on her name, Jin-sil (진실 lit. means "truth").[13]

After several experiences in TV dramas as a supporting actress, Choi debuted on a leading role in the MBC drama Jealousy (1992), which recorded the highest viewership rating of 56.1% and became the first Korean production to be broadcast in China.[14][5] The term "trendy drama" was first used to describe Jealousy. Cultural critic Ha Jae-geun said, “The drama ‘Jealousy’ was not just considered a popular drama, but was accepted as a symbol of an era. It was the beginning of the trendy drama.”[15] Trendy dramas refer to movies or TV dramas that delve into the tastes of the younger people by featuring popular stars as the main characters and depicting city life, cutting-edge fashion, and new generation mindsets.[16] The drama was a breath of fresh air, breaking away from the standard tropes of most dramas of the past. It approached the public from a new perspective, portraying the unique yet realistic lifestyles of young people in their 20s and 30s, and marked the beginning of Korean romantic comedies.[17] For her beauty, acting ability, and relatable portrayal of the lead character, Choi was nicknamed, “The Nation's Sweetheart” and became a beloved national actress.[14][18] She starred in a string of successful dramas and films in the following years, such as the film Mister Mama (1992) with Choi Min-soo, the MBC melodrama Stormy Season (1993) and the comedy film How to Top My Wife (1994).

In 1994, Choi starred in the film I Wish for What Was Forbidden to Me, which dealt with gender violence and opened a new chapter in the history of Korean feminist films. Choi sought to transform her acting by appearing in socially weighty works and even invested her appearance fee on the film's production costs, as a response to the mounting crisis in Korean cinema concerning underfunded projects. Choi's participation as the lead actress and producer was said to be due to her close relationship with the producers and director, as well as her strong attachment to the role of the main character, Kang Min-ju. "In order to save Korean cinema, not only producers and directors but also actors need to step up to the plate," Choi said at the time, adding, "I want to show a new image in good films regardless of guarantees."[19] She won Best Actress (Film) at the 30th Baeksang Arts Awards for her performance.

In 1995, she acted alongside Lee Byung-hun in the romantic comedy film Who Drives Me Crazy and the SBS action drama Asphalt Man, which was one of the major productions of its time. In the second half of 1995, she enrolled in the Department of Performing Arts (Theater and Film) at Chung-Ang University, Graduate School of Arts, to study acting professionally. Choi had a desire to learn acting systematically, starting with breathing and vocalization. She also won the Grand Prize in the CF category at the 1st Korea Model Festival.[20]

Exhausted from a series of strong performances since her debut, Choi took time to recharge her energy by reading books and chose a film that was less demanding than television. The film was Ghost Mamma (1996), a huge box office success and was a change of pace from her previous roles, which were mostly comedic and smiley. The film's success led to a flurry of commercials and articles saying, "Choi Jin-sil has hit her second peak". Around the same time, Choi was offered a role in the experimental film Holiday in Seoul by director Kang Woo-seok. Kang was also the producer of the film, and the role of the decadent "hotel telephone operator" played by Choi Jin-sil was originally intended for actress Kim Nam-joo, but when she dropped out due to a disagreement with the film company, Kang asked Choi, who had always been close to him, to play the role. Kang thanked Choi for her appearance with an unprecedented casting fee.

In 1997, she had top billing in the biggest domestic film of the year, The Letter, and the highest-rated Korean drama of all time, You and I. [21][22] Another hit drama, Star in My Heart was one of the earlier Korean dramas to air outside Korea and its popularity elevated the main cast to Hallyu stardom (the term Hallyu, 한류, 韓流 comes from Mandarin and was coined in the late 1990s after the show's success in China), marking the first generation of the Korean Wave.[23]

Choi starred in the MBC drama Star in My Heart, which she appeared in despite breaking her contract with SBS. Ten years after her debut, she still maintained her good-natured and vivacious image and made a splendid return to her home MBC. Even though there were sloppy plot developments, Choi's one-two punch portrayal of Lee Yeonee and Sophia was flawless, with her eyes, tone of voice, body language, and gestures making the characters seem like completely different people. The drama was one of the first Hallyu dramas to become incredibly popular in China. In November 1997, The Letter was released and became the number one film at the Korean box office from 1997 to 1998. It won the Audience Choice Award for Most Popular Film at the 1998 Blue Dragon Film Awards. Gulbongsan Station became a famous landmark when it was used as a filming location. She was cast in the film in April 1997, when Star in My Heart was just getting off the ground. Choi, who immediately warmed to the suspense film Ghost Mama, said of The Letter which embraced the classic formula of a melodrama, "I'm not really confident in acting crying and weeping, but I responded when I received the script because the story is compelling..."

It was an emotionally demanding project, and when the movie was finished and she was exhausted, she was offered a role in MBC's You and I, as career woman Yoon Soo-kyung. The drama aired on weekends from October 1997 to April 1998 and garnered a record-breaking 66.9% viewership rating, making it the highest-rated Korean drama of all time. Choi was recognized for her acting skills as she steadily led the center of the drama for 58 episodes. Appearing in You and I served as an opportunity for her to be highly regarded by her senior actors, establishing herself as a significant actress both in name and reality inside and outside the entertainment industry. Choi won the Grand Prize at the 1997 MBC Drama Awards at the end of the year by showing both a lively image in a trendy drama and a sophisticated image in a weekend soap opera.

In 1998, Choi published an autobiography Yes, Let's Live Truthfully Today Too, looking back at the change from an ordinary high school graduate to a famous actress.[1] In March 1998, Korea Telecom released a public phone card modeled after Choi or a campaign to overcome the economic crisis.  In June, she played advertising agency employee Seo In-young in MBC's Memories, which was originally planned for 16 episodes, but due to viewer ratings, was extended by 6 more episodes. It was also the first drama in South Korea to feature a divorced couple as the main characters. In July, she was voted Japan's favorite Korean actress, and in August, she was voted the most popular entertainer in the actor category since the founding of South Korea in a Gallup Korea poll.[24] In the same month, she appeared in a national promotional campaign alongside President Kim Dae-jung and several other famous celebrities, athletes, and literary figures.

In 1999, she received tremendous praise for her acting chemistry with actress Kim Hye-ja, co-starring in the drama Roses and Bean Sprouts, which recorded a highest viewership rating of 44.1%, and the art film Mayonnaise, which won the Grand Prize at the Kerala International Film Festival, marking her breakthrough in art film. Written by Jeon Hye-seong, the author of the original novel, the film deals with the theme of a woman who indulges rather than a woman who sacrifices. Choi had great desire for experimental films, and so she wanted to work with new directors.[25] Mayonnaise was planned with the intention of 'Let all mothers and children in the world see this film’. Kim Hye-ja, who was cast first as the mother, suggested, “It would be good if Jin-sil played the role of the daughter”, and so Choi was cast. The two shared a close relationship, having previously worked together on You and I and Roses and Bean Sprouts.[26]

In 2000, she starred in the fantasy epic Danjeokbiyeonsu, a poorly-received blockbuster, which was the most expensive Korean film ever made at the time.[27] In the same year, she married Cho Sung-min, and their first child, Choi Hwan-hee, was born in 2001. In 2002, Choi played the role of Lee Ok-hwa, a trading company employee in MBC's Since We Met, her first work since marriage. The role centered on the culture shock and ups and downs that Ok-hwa, a Korean-American who grew up and went to college in China, experiences when she comes to Korea. Choi was coached by her friend Jeong Sun-hee to learn how to speak realistic Yanbian dialect, which led to them filming commercials together.[28] The drama aired for about half a year and had good ratings, but there was a brief dip in the middle due to the World Cup. In this drama, she worked again with Kim Hye-ja.

She largely stayed out of the limelight, raising her two children during her high-profile divorce saga from 2002 to 2004.[29]

In 2005, she returned with the KBS melodrama My Rosy Life which was a huge success and became one of the highest-rated Korean dramas of all time.[30][31] Choi reinvented herself as a more approachable middle-aged married woman, gaining six kilograms for the role. The pain and suffering of her character blurred the line between reality and fiction, and her performance aroused empathy from TV audiences; with My Rosy Life, she received the best reviews of her career from viewers and critics alike. She won the Top Excellence Award at the KBS Drama Awards and Best Actress at the 42nd Baeksang Arts Awards, and joined the short list of actresses (and actors) who won the award in both film and television categories.[32] She also ranked first among all genders and age groups in the 'Talent that Shined this Year' survey by Gallup Korea.[33]

Rival network MBC initially wouldn't allow Choi to star in KBS's My Rosy Life, claiming she was still under contract with them to act in 300 drama episodes, of which she had completed 250.[34] They eventually reached an agreement that enabled Choi to make the KBS drama, after which she finished the remainder of her contract by starring in the 2007 MBC drama Bad Woman, Good Woman.[35][29]

Her last work was Last Scandal (2008), generating many positive reviews from critics and viewers.[36][37] Through this, Choi, who was the main character of Korea's first trendy drama, also became the main character of the trendy drama for the middle-aged. Although it was a drama aimed at the middle-aged, the audience broadened to include younger generations and gained a lot of popularity among teenagers and those in their 20s. A second season of Last Scandal was being planned for broadcast in November 2008 before her death.[38][39] She was also an MC in a talk show, Choi Jin-sil 'Truth and Lie' in 2008.[40] As it was Choi's first time hosting a show, it received a lot of public attention and was a huge success, and a second season was scheduled. Not only did Choi receive the best treatment in the industry with a higher per-episode appearance fee than Yoo Jae-suk, but she also received the highest level of program publicity.[41][42]

In 2000, her marriage to Cho Sung-min received widespread attention in South Korea. Cho was a professional baseball player with the Yomiuri Giants of Japan. They first met on a television show in 1998. Choi gave birth to a son Hwan-Hee (2001) and a daughter Joon-Hee (2003).[4][51]

Cho insisted that Choi was a blameful spouse through the press without filing a lawsuit for divorce in December 2002. It was senseless act according to South Korean civil law. Choi privately had the consideration period in connection with divorce for about two years from 2002 to 2004. Choi had not been sued for divorce for the period. In September 2004, Choi decided to divorce Cho.[52][53][54][55][56]

Cho committed a breach of marital fidelity, violence and defamation against Choi for about two years from 2002 to 2004.[57] In addition, Cho borrowed money from Choi's mother and Choi's younger brother and defaulted on the debt; Cho was sued for it by them. In November 2002, Cho physically attacked Choi, who was pregnant at the time with their second child. In August 2004, Cho again assaulted her. The former violence was known to people in December 2002 by Cho and Cho insisted that the violence had been mutual attack to the press. Cho insisted that the latter violence also had been mutual attack. The case was widely publicized in the media.

Choi won the parental rights and child custody over the children on condition of exempting Cho's debt to her mother and brother as well as dropping several charges against Cho. Cho could visit his children regularly according to the mutual agreement. Choi won sole custody.

In January 2008, the South Korean family register (hoju) was changed. As a result, children could now use their maternal family name. According to the register, Choi Jin-sil changed her children's surname from "Cho" (paternal family name) to "Choi" (maternal family name).[58][59]

Cho's qualification as a parental authority was questioned after Choi's death. Cho showed interest in the inheritance left behind by Choi, but past issues were brought up, causing public outrage. In the aftermath, a bill prohibiting the automatic reinstatement of parental rights when one of the divorced parents passes away (aka the Choi Jin-sil law) was enacted, preventing similar incidents from occurring.[60] After Choi's death, her mother managed the inheritance and was awarded custody of the children.[61][62][63][64][65] The older of the two children is singer Choi Hwan-hee, who goes by the stage name Z.flat and made his debut in November 2020.[66][67]

In August 2004, Choi Jin-sil came forward as a victim of domestic violence. Subsequently, an advertiser, Shinhan Engineering and Construction, claimed she had not kept her contractual obligation to "maintain dignity" as she had disclosed to the public her bruised and swollen face which was caused by the violence of her then husband.[55][68]

On June 4, 2009, the Supreme Court reversed a high court ruling that decided in favor of Choi in a compensation suit filed by the advertiser in 2004 against the actress, who was the model for its apartments. In handing down its ruling, the Supreme Court censured Choi for coming forward and declaring herself a victim of domestic violence, saying it constituted a failure to maintain proper "social and moral honour". Her two children became defendants as heirs.[69][70]

On June 9, 2009, Korean Womenlink, the Korea Women's Hot Line, and the Korea Women's Association United issued a joint statement lambasting the ruling. Women's groups censured the Supreme Court for not realising the suffering of domestic violence victims, which included Choi. As to the ruling, the groups claimed that revealing the results of domestic violence was not a matter of "dignity" but a matter of "survival". "When a person is suffering, he or she needs to restore their dignity and social honour by disclosing the damage and seeking proper legal help as Choi did", a director of Korean Womenlink said.[71]

On September 8, 2008, Ahn Jae-hwan, the husband of popular comedian Jeong Sun-Hee, was found dead in his car. Ahn died by suicide apparently due to distress over mounting debts.[75] Jeong and Choi had been close friends for a long time; at his funeral Choi appeared deeply shaken. Shortly after, rumours circulated on the web that Choi, as a loan shark, had lent a large sum of money to Ahn. On September 22, 2008, Choi sought a police probe into the source of the rumours, calling them groundless. On September 28, 2008, police arrested a securities company employee for spreading the rumours.[2][76][77]

Choi suffered greater stress amid rumours circulating on the Internet that she was involved in the suicide of fellow actor Ahn Jae-Hwan.[78][79]

In response to Choi's death, the South Korean government tried to strengthen a legal push to regulate Internet postings. Politicians have reacted by proposing legislation that would impose a more rigorous real name registration requirement on the Internet and more heightened punishment for libelous statements.[80][81][82]

The news of her death was widely reported and large number of reporters rushed to Choi's house to cover the event. Major portal websites blocked online users from leaving comments on articles concerning Choi, fearing that some users might leave malicious comments.[83][84][85]

"Almost 80 percent of South Korea's households have broadband access, fostering active online interactions. Most Web sites here have bulletin boards where users can post uncensored, anonymous comments, and nearly all young people run their own blogs, updating via cellphone. Such sites were a major avenue for rumors about the possible dangers of dropping a ban on American beef that fed enormous street protests and political upheaval earlier this year. Major Web portals have in recent years doubled the number of monitors to screen out online character assassination and respond more quickly to complaints of malicious rumors. But many victims still complained that vicious rumors spread so fast their reputations were ruined virtually overnight", The New York Times commented on her death on October 2, 2008.[79]

"She was more than South Korea's Julia Roberts or Angelina Jolie. For nearly 20 years, Choi was the country's cinematic sweetheart and as close to being a 'national' actress as possible. But since her body was found on Oct. 2, an apparent suicide, she has become a symbol of the difficulties women face in this deeply conservative yet technologically savvy society. Her suicide has gripped the nation, dominating headlines as authorities, relatives and even the government try to determine what went wrong. Incessant online gossip appears to have been largely to blame for her death. But it's also clear that public life as a single, working, divorced mom—still a pariah status in South Korea—was one role she had a lot of trouble with", Time commented on her death on October 6, 2008.[86]

After her funeral, Choi was cremated and buried at Gapsan Park Cemetery in Yangpyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do. The gravesite was purchased by the Gangnam Joongang Baptist Church, which Choi attended during her lifetime, and 18 believers, including Choi, are buried here. Her brother Choi Jin-young was buried beside her after he died in 2010. Memorial services were held at Gapsan Park every year until her 10th death anniversary in 2018. After Choi Jin-sil was laid to rest here, it became so popular that there was a long waiting list of more than a month for a plot.

Choi Jin-sil's heart-shaped tombstone reads, "The sweetheart of all! The lovely girl rests in this place." (만인의 연인! 사랑스러운 그녀 이 곳에 잠들다.) along with an image of her. Around the tomb are autograph books and photos taken throughout her life and career. There is also a dedicated mailbox for fan letters. The large size of the burial vault makes the place feel more like a park than a graveyard.

In the early days after the burial, the tomb is not as spacious as the charnel house that it is today. However, due to the large number of visitors, it became difficult to manage the cemetery, and security needed to be strengthened due to the theft of her urn that occurred in August 2009. Her tomb was remodeled to its current form to coincide with the first anniversary of her death.

On August 4, 2009, Choi's ashes were stolen from her burial site.[87] The police hunt for a suspect was aided by surveillance camera images showing a man carrying out the theft. On August 26, 2009, the police arrested him and Choi's ashes were found in his home.[88]

A small memorial park for Choi Jin-sil was built near the tomb from which her ashes were stolen. Her ashes were placed in the new tomb in Gapsan Park on September 28, 2009. Security devices have been installed to prevent a recurrence of the theft, with more surveillance cameras placed around the specially manufactured tomb.[89]

Choi was the "big sister" who led the so-called "Choi Jin-sil Association". It was a friendly group of close celebrities that included the comedians Lee Young-Ja and Jeong Sun-Hee, the models Hong Jin-Kyung and Lee So-Ra, and the actresses Choi Hwa-Jung and Uhm Jung-Hwa. After Choi's death, they founded "The Choi Jin-sil Foundation" for charity.[90][91][92]

The drama synopsis As Life Goes On (사노라면) which Choi Jin-sil had written was found in her home after her death.[93]

• Grand Bell Awards
  • 1991 (29th) - Best New Actress for My Love, My Bride
  • 1993 (31st), 1994 (32nd) - Most Popular Actress
  • 1995 (33rd) - Best Actress for How to Top My Wife
• Blue Dragon Film Awards
  • 1990 (11th) - Best New Actress for Nambugun
  • 1990 (11th), 1991 (12th), 1992 (13th), 1993 (14th), 1994 (15th), 1995 (16th), 1997 (18th), 1998 (19th) - Popular Star Award
  • 2008 (29th) - Honorary Popular Star Award
• Baeksang Arts Awards
  • 1991 (27th), 1992 (28th) - Most Popular Actress (Film)
  • 1994 (30th) - Best Actress (Film) for I Wish for What Is Forbidden to Me
  • 1995 (31st), 1997 (33rd), 1999 (35th) - Most Popular Actress (Film)
• Chunsa Film Art Awards
  • 1990 (1st) - Best New Actress for Nambugun
• Korean Association of Film Critics Awards
  • 1991 (11th) - Best New Actress for My Love, My Bride
• Golden Cinematography Award
  • 1991 (15th) - Best New Actress for My Love, My Bride
  • 1994 (18th) - Most Popular Star Award

• Grand Bell Awards
  • 1994 (32nd) - Best Actress for I Wish for What Is Forbidden to Me
  • 1997 (35th) - Best Actress for Ghost Mamma

• Blue Dragon Film Awards
  • 1990 (11th) - Best Supporting Actress for Nambugun
  • 1991 (12th) - Best Actress for Susanne Brink's Arirang
  • 1992 (13th) - Best Actress for The Room in the Forest
  • 1995 (16th) - Best Actress for How to Top My Wife
  • 1997 (18th) - Best Actress for Ghost Mamma
  • 1998 (19th) - Best Actress for The Letter

• Baeksang Arts Awards
  • 1991 (27th) - Best New Actress (Film) for Nambugun
  • 1992 (28th) - Best Actress (Film) for Susanne Brink's Arirang
  • 1995 (31st) - Best Actress (Film) for How to Top My Wife
  • 1997 (33rd) - Best Actress (Film) for Ghost Mamma

• Baeksang Arts Awards
  • 1993 (29th) - Most Popular Actress (Television) for Jealousy
  • 2006 (42nd) - Best Actress (Television) for My Rosy Life

• KBS Drama Awards
  • 1998 - Top Excellence Award, Actress
  • 2005 - Top Excellence Award, Actress; Netizen Award; Best Couple Award
• MBC Drama Awards
  • 1993 - Top Excellence Award, Actress for Stormy Season
  • 1997 - Grand Prize (Daesang)
  • 1997 - Top Excellence Award, Actress for Star in My Heart; Best Couple Award
  • 2008 - Achievement Award [95]
• SBS Drama Awards
  • 1994 - Top Excellence Award, Actress for Scent of Love
  • 1995 - Top Excellence Award, Actress for Asphalt Man and Jazz
• Grimae Awards
  • 1998 - Best Actress for You and I
• Korea Broadcasting Association Awards
  • 1998 - Best Actress/Female Talent Award for You and I

• Baeksang Arts Awards
  • 1993 (29th) - Best Actress (Television) for Jealousy
  • 1998 (34th) - Best Actress (Television) for You and I

• 2007 MBC Drama Awards
  • Top Excellence Award, Actress for Bad Woman, Good Woman

• 2008 MBC Drama Awards[96]
  • Top Excellence Award, Actress for Last Scandal
  • Best Couple Award