South Korean actress who was kidnapped by North Korea, passed away

News24xx.com - Choi Eun-hee a South Korean actress, who was kidnapped by North Korea, died at the age of 91. She was abducted by the orders of Kim Jong-il in 1970s.

Choi’s former husband, Shin Sang-ok, a famous film director was abducted after her. The couple was able to escape, but North Korea denied abducting them, claiming that they came to North Korea by their own will.

Choi died on Monday afternoon, April 16th 2018, in South Korea. Her former husband, Shin, had died in 2006.

Choi was born in November 1926 in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. She began her acting career in 1947. She and Shin Sang-ok, her husband at that time, became the most celebrated film star and director. However, they divorced by the late 1970s.

Although her relationship with her former husband remained close, Choi’s career went down into a slump at that point. Choi was then approached by someone who claimed to be Hong Kong businessman who offered for her to work for a company which would helped revive her career. She agreed and went to Hong Kong. But when she arrived, she was grabbed and sedated, only to find herself in Pyongyang eight days later. Shin, who came to Hong Kong to look for his former wife, was later abducted as well.

The former leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-il, was known to be an avid lover of films. He hoped that Choi and Shin’s presence in North Korea would help their film industry compete in international stage. After a long time, the couple finally earned Kim’s trust and was allowed to travel to Vienna. Once they arrived in Vienna, they asked for help from US embassy and was able to return home to South Korea.

Choi’s dead was mourned by the people of South Korea, especially by other actresses and actors as well as her fans.

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