Kwak Yeon-soo is a digital editor at The Korea Times creating, editing and curating digital content for the newspaper’s website, mobile app and social media. She previously covered a diverse array of cultural, political and business topics.
'Iconic actress fighting Alzheimer's, diabetes alone without proper care'
Actress Yoon Jeong-hee / Korea Times file
By Kwak Yeon-soo
Yoon's husband refutes claim, saying contents of petition are groundless
By Kwak Yeon-soo
Speculation is mounting over the wellbeing of Yoon Jeong-hee, 77, who dominated the silver screen in the 1960s and 1970s as one of the three most-sought-after actresses, after an online petition claimed that the ailing star suffering from Alzheimer's disease and diabetes has been neglected by her immediate family ― her husband and daughter.
An anonymous person posted a petition on the website of Cheong Wa Dae, Friday, claiming, “Yoon is in a lone fight against Alzheimer's and diabetes in an apartment in the suburbs of Paris without being properly cared for by her spouse, because they live apart.” The real names that appeared in the original text were removed by the administrator for privacy reasons.
“It has been two years since her husband has seen her (Yoon). Her daughter lives nearby, but she's unable to take proper care of the actress because she's busy with her own work and family life. (Yoon's) siblings asked the daughter to allow them to call and visit the ailing actress freely, but the daughter set strict rules about visitation hours and the length of visits as if she's a prisoner,” the petitioner wrote.
“As a result, siblings are allowed to call her only once a month for 30 minutes, and visit her once every three months for two hours. This is clearly a violation of freedom of association and human rights.” The authenticity of the petition could not be proven, but it drew more than 2,000 signatures as of noon Sunday.
Yoon is married to concert pianist Paik Kun-woo. The two tied the knot in 1976, two years after they first met in Paris.
Paik's agency Vincero said the claims contained in the petition are “false and groundless.”
“Yoon is living a comfortable and stable life under the care of her family and a court-appointed caregiver. She's receiving medical treatment and seeing a doctor regularly. The limited phone calls and appointments mentioned in the petition were decided according to the court's judgment,” Vincero said in a statement.
“The artist doesn't want his personal life to be disclosed just because he's a public figure. Please refrain from speculation based on unconfirmed rumors that may damage the reputation of the artist and the artist's family.”
Yoon was one of the “troika” or most-popular actresses in Korea in the 1960s and 1970s along with Moon Hee and Nam Jeong-im.
Yoon, whose actual name is Son Mi-ja, was born in 1944 and debuted in 1967 with director Gang Dae-jin's “Cheongchun Geukjang” (Sorrowful Youth).Yoon became one of the most prolific actresses of her day, appearing in period pieces such as “The Three-Day Reign” (1973) and melodramas like “Affair on the Beach” (1970).
Her 1972 work “Oyster Village,” directed by Jung Jin-woo, was named best film at the Blue Dragon Film Awards ― where she also won the best actress award ― and was nominated for a Golden Bear at the 22nd Berlin International Film Festival.
After winning the Grand Bell Awards for her role in the Korean War epic “Manmubang” in 1994, Yoon disappeared from the public eye. In 2010, she returned to the big screen through auteur Lee Chang-dong's Cannes-winning “Poetry,” in which she plays a character with Alzheimer's.
She received the best actress award at the Blue Dragon Awards, Grand Bell Awards and Los Angeles Film Critics Association for her role. She has starred in more than 300 films and earned 24 best actress awards at domestic and international ceremonies
In 2019, Paik revealed that Yoon has been living with Alzheimer's for the past 10 years and is receiving treatment at home in France.