What in the what? NY Mag has just broken the news that top Korean fashion model Daul Kim was found dead in Paris today, and while details are yet unknown, it appears to have been a suicide.

Daul Kim is probably Korea’s most famous supermodel and had worked a lot in her short career — she was 20. I remember watching her featured in Korean cable reality program I Am A Model, which followed the activities of working models. I’d also occasionally popped in to read her personal blog, I Like To Fork Myself, and found her often-rambling insights interesting and entertaining.

RIP Daul.

Some of Daul Kim’s fashion photos >>

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Perhaps to ease the sad news of losing 35-year-old actress Jang Jin-young to cancer yesterday (Korean time), the press has been highlighting the fact that Jang left this world having enjoyed a fulfilling career and, as it is now being reported, love life as well. News is circulating that Jang had actually secretly married her boyfriend (only identified as Mr. Kim, 43) with a small wedding ceremony in the States in July, where she was receiving treatment. The couple then went through the paperwork to legally register the marriage in Korea on August 28, just days before her September 1 passing.

The marriage was evidently kept secret not only from her management, but also their families. A reporter’s call with Kim’s father, a former member of parliament, led to an incredulous denial. However, a source at the Seongbuk-gu (a Seoul district) city office confirmed, “The two have completed the marriage registration, and Jang Jin-young and Mr. Kim were legally spouses.” An employee at the office said that Kim came to the office in person with Jang’s official identification and registered the marriage.

Kim père said, “I’ve never heard this before. She was going through a time where she needed to focus on treating her illness, why would she have married? We have no connection to Seongbuk-gu, and it makes no sense that they would have registered their marriage there.”

The city official explained that because of Kim’s area of residence, he is eligible to handle civil matters in any district of his choosing. The Seongbuk-gu office was in the vicinity of the hospital where Jang was re-admitted.

Since her death, a steady stream of celebrities and friends have been paying their respects to their deceased colleague. (They include: Lee Byung-heon, Jeon Do-yeon, Han Ji-min, Song Il-kook, Song Hye-gyo, Jung Jun-ho, Kim Ah-joong, Kim Jung-eun, Lee Beom-soo, Hwang Jung-min, Yoo Sun, Im Soo-jung, Kim Joo-hyuk, Park Hae-il, Han Jae-seok, Lee Jung-jae, Han Ji-hye, Kim Seung-woo, Lee Seung-yeon, Kim Seok-hoon, Eom Ji-won, Park Kyung-lim.) The funeral procession will take place on the morning of September 4.

Via E Daily, Hankyung, Newsen

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UPDATE: Jang Jin-young has passed away on September 1, at the age of 35.

This is very sad. Actress Jang Jin-young (Singles, Lobbyist) had announced last September that she was diagnosed with stomach cancer. She stopped all acting activities to focus on treatment, and a few months later seemed to be much improved.

However, now the news is coming out that her health has taken a swift but drastic downturn, and she is reportedly in critical condition. She had recently returned to Korea after receiving medical care in Los Angeles last month. According to a management rep, Jang Jin-young is currently admitted to a Kangnam hospital, and with the recent deterioration, they have stopped medical treatment for the cancer and are now focused on keeping her out of pain. Her family has been told to “prepare themselves” mentally, while a source at the hospital says they are preparing for the worst and keeping CPR equipment and defibrillators at the ready.

Jang Jin-young wishes to be remembered looking healthy, and visitation is restricted to only family members and her boyfriend. She had announced the relationship with a Mr. Kim in July, saying, “When I was exhausted and in pain and wanted to collapse, I found the biggest support close to me and was able to stand again because of him, who gave me courage.”

Via Now News, Mk.co.kr

RELATED POSTS

• Update on Jang Jin-young’s cancer
• Jang Jin-young extends contract
• Jang Jin-young begins treatment for cancer

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Oh, sad. Veteran actress Yeo Woon-kye passed away on May 22 after battling cancer. She had initially been diagnosed with cancer of the kidneys in 2007, and had seemed to make a full recovery. However, it was not long ago that she found out that the disease had traveled to her lungs.

Yeo was 69 years old and enjoyed a career spanning 47 years; she had been seen in numerous dramas and films over the years — if you’ve been watching dramas for a while, chances are you’ve seen her more than a few times (she was my favorite cranky granny and a great comic as well as dramatic actress).

Yeo Woon-kye began acting in the late 1950s as a university student, although her bona fide debut came when she joined a theater company following graduation in 1962. She had said in an interview of her early days, “My family strongly opposed my becoming an actor, so I had to give it up and decided to go to school to go into teaching, but even after waiting, there was no space available at school. So that’s how I started acting. It was like fate.”

Some of her more recent roles came in dramas like Dae Jang Geum in 2003, My Name Is Kim Sam-soon in 2005, Bad Family in 2006, and Golden Age of the Daughter-in-Law in 2007.

She is survived by her husband, Cha Sang-hoon (72), a former university professor, and two children (one son, one daughter).

Via Yonhap News

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It’s a sad day when news like this is no longer shocking. There have been way too many celebrity suicides in the past six months.

Woo Seung-yeon, a 24-year-old rookie actress, was found dead on the morning of April 27 at home from an apparent suicide. She had hanged herself in her closet. The suicide is believed to have been triggered by depression.

A family member said on the 28th that she had recently received treatment at a hospital for her depression, but “she couldn’t handle the pain and made an extreme decision.” The relative requested that the deceased be allowed to rest in peace, given the current turmoil of scandals and accidents within the entertainment industry.

Woo Seung-yeon got her start as an internet uljjang, after which she began to model, and then branched out into acting in the movie Herb and the mobile sitcom Yap. Her most recent role was in the Hwang Jung-min film Private Eye [그림자 살인], which was released earlier this month.

(I know someone’s going to ask, so no, there are no indicators that this is related to the current drug scandal.)

Via DongA

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