The late actress Lee Joo Shil revealed on MBN's Special World that she was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer in 1993.
After more than a decade of battling the disease, in 2010, doctors even declared Lee Joo Shil completely cancer-free. But in November of last year, the disease relapsed.
Lee Joo Shil's management company 1230 Culture confirmed that the actress passed away on January 27, after a battle with stomach cancer.
They said, "About 3 months ago, actress Lee Joo Shil's health declined and she was diagnosed with stomach cancer after going to the hospital for a checkup."
The late actor passed away at his home in Uijeongbu, South Korea.
Lee Joo Shil was born in 1944. She has a career spanning over five decades, working in many fields such as theater, television, movies, and Korean dramas.
She began her career as a stage actress in 1965 and became a prominent figure in the Korean theater industry during the 1970s and 1980s.
Lee Joo Shil starred in classic plays such as “Death of a Salesman” and “Macbeth,” receiving critical acclaim.
Her transition to the screen was marked by numerous film and television works, notably the 1980 “Country Diary” and the 2016 zombie horror film “Train to Busan.”
Most recently, Lee Joo Shil played Park Mal Soon, mother of Hwang Jun Ho (Wi Ha Joon) in the hit Netflix series “Squid Game 2,” released late December 2024.
Despite battling cancer, she completed her undergraduate degree while undergoing treatment. She then earned her doctorate in public health from Wonkwang University in 2010.
After hearing the news of Lee Joo Shil's passing, "Squid Game" fans expressed their condolences on social media.
