Veteran TV and film actress Kim Soo Mi dies after having a heart attack following months of health issues

Actress Kim Soo Mi died at the age of 75 earlier today (Friday October 25).

The Korean star had a career which spanned more than 50 years. She made her debut by taking part in a talent contest in 1970 and then rose to fame in the 1980s with the beloved sitcom Country Diaries, which ran for more than 20 years.

Local publication Yonhap News first reported that Mi died in the early hours of this morning. According to the police, the actress was found unconscious by her son and was taken to Seoul St. Mary's Hospital at around 8am Korea Standard Time (which is midnight Greenwich Mean Time in the UK). Mi was pronounced dead in the emergency room and it’s believed that she suffered a cardiac arrest at home which lead to her death.

Her son, Jung Myung-ho, later confirmed that police attributed her death to hyperglycemic shock, a condition caused by dangerously high blood sugar levels, according to local publication The Korea Times.

Fellow Korean actor Kim Young-ok, aged 86, shared a tribute to her online. She wrote "I couldn't believe it — I (first) thought it was fake news on YouTube. It's such a huge shock. I spoke with her about 20 days ago and she said her health was fine. I asked if I could visit, but she told me she was fine, so we agreed to meet later. Now, with her gone so suddenly, my heart aches."

Culture Minister Yu In-chon, a former co-star with Mi on Country Diaries, also expressed his grief."It feels like we’ve lost not just a star, but a family member. We are grateful to Kim Soo Mi for showing younger actors the diverse possibilities within their craft."

Mi had been suffering from health issues since May and had previously been admitted to the hospital due to accumulated fatigue and exhaustion. She had not worked for some time due to her declining health. Fans first raised concerns over her health in September 2023 when she appeared in a home shopping broadcast with a visibly swollen face and trembling hands, according to The Korea Times.

Over the years, the actress has been a part of various hit projects, which led to her winning awards. She won the Grand Prize at the 1986 MBC Drama Awards for her performance as Kim So Dam in the Country Diaries, where she played an elderly woman despite being in her 30s when the show first began. She later won the Best Supporting Actress at the Blue Dragon Film Awards for the film Late Blossom.

In 2003, she made a guest appearance in the drama Oh! Happy Day which quickly made her a household name as fans dubbed her as Queen of Ad-lib. She has also been a part of various TV shows like Gwisaengchung, The President's People, Soo Mi's Mountain Cabin and more. Aside from acting, Kim also became a regular guest on variety shows, recognized for her culinary skills and her matriarchal image. She was a regular on TV shows such as Mother's Touch: Korean Side Dishes and The Village President's People.

Mi was last seen on-screen in 2023 film Love My Scent.