Korean actress Jang Jin-young died Tuesday evening after losing a battle against stomach cancer. She was 35.
Jang Jin-Young was diagnosed almost one year ago in September 2008 during a regular health check. However, both western medical treatment and traditional herbal remedies failed to stop the disease and the actress passed away on September 1st, at the Seoul St. Mary's Hospital at Catholic University of Korea.
Jang was best known for her role in "The Scent of Love", or 'Scent of Chrysanthemums', a 2003 South Korean film. Ironically she portrayed a woman dying of stomach cancer in the tragic but heart-warming love story.
She began her career as a model and participated in the 1993 Miss Korea beauty contest before making the switch to acting. Since making her film debut in 1998, Jang has received critical praise and won a number of awards for her work.
She became only the second winner of two Blue Dragon Film Awards for Best Actress, having won in 2001 for her part in the horror film "Sorum", and again in 2003 with the romantic comedy "Singles."
Fans have been grieving at the bad news and offering their sympathy to the actress's family. Some have found it difficult to come to terms with the fact that so many notable South Korean actors have passed away in such a short time. Other deaths include model turned actor Lee Eon who died in a motorcycle accident and actress Choi Jin-Sil who committed suicide last October.
(CRI September 3, 2009)
