Choi Jin-sil, famed South Korean Actress Found Dead

Reports are pouring in over the death of one of South Korea’s most popular actresses, Choi, Jin-sil in a suspected suicide Thursday.

Nicknamed “The Nation’s Actress,” Choi, 39, was discovered in the bathroom of her Seoul home according to Seocho Police.

The actress appeared to have committed suicide by hanging herself, but an investigation is underway to determine the precise cause of death. Police officers report that no suicide note was found and her death comes a month after rumors of a fellow actor owning her money.

Furthermore, it has been reported that Choi has been coping with personal difficulties and suffering mental stress. Some of this has been attributed to her recent 2004 divorce to Cho Sung-min, a baseball star playing for the Japanese pro baseball club Yomiuri Giants. The deterioration of their relationship had become much publicized and a popular tabloid fodder.

Rumors also swirled surrounding the recent death of fellow actor Ahn Jae-hwan, who had reportedly owed Choi money and was pressured to repay her. Jae-hwan was found dead in his car last month in an apparent suicide.

Choi debuted during the late 1980s and rose to stardom becoming South Korea’s best-loved actresses. She has appeared in numerous box-office hits, including: “My Love, My Bride” and “How to Top My Wife”, as well as TV dramas — “Jealousy,” “My Rosy Life” and last year’s “Bad Woman, Good Woman.”

Source: AP