Overview
- He collapsed on Dec. 30 after choking while eating at home, received CPR, remained unconscious in intensive care, and died at Soonchunhyang University Hospital around 9 a.m. on Jan. 5.
- His death was announced by his agency, Artist Company, and confirmed by the hospital, with the Korea Film Actors Association providing details of his final hours.
- A film-industry funeral is being organized by the Shin Young Kyun Arts and Culture Foundation and the Korea Film Actors Association, with a wake at Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital and a service scheduled for Friday.
- Across nearly seven decades, he appeared in roughly 170–180 films, earned the moniker “The Nation’s Actor,” and won a record five Grand Bell best actor awards.
- Diagnosed with blood cancer in 2019 and later experiencing a recurrence, he had focused on recovery in recent years, and he is survived by his wife, Oh So-yeong, and two sons as colleagues and fans pay tribute at the funeral hall.