“Live True to Myself Even for a Day” — Veteran Stage Actress Yoon Seok-hwa Passes Away
Creatrip Team
3 months ago
Yoon Seok-hwa, a pioneering South Korean stage actress who debuted in 1975 with the play 'Honey Taste' (꿀맛), has died after years of battling a malignant brain tumor. According to the Korean Theatre Actors Association, she passed on the evening of the 18th with family by her side. After performing in 'Hamlet' in 2022 she underwent surgery for the tumor and continued to seek a stage return, ultimately choosing to stop chemotherapy to focus on natural treatments, saying she wanted to "live true to myself even for a week." Her final brief stage appearance was in 2023 in the play 'Toccata' at LG Arts Center Seoul. Born in Seoul in 1956, Yoon starred in landmark plays such as 'Agnes of God' and 'Letter to My Daughter,' and became known alongside fellow leading actresses Son Sook and Park Jung-ja. She also appeared in musicals and films, directed and produced shows, opened the small theater 'Jeongmiso' (정미소) in Daehangno, and ran a production company and a performing-arts magazine. A longtime advocate for adoption, she adopted two children and held charity concerts to support adoption culture. A four-time Baeksang Arts Awards Best Actress winner, her funeral will be held at Severance Hospital in Sinchon, Seoul.
