South Korean actress Kim Mi-soo died unexpectedly Wednesday. The K-drama actor was 29.
“Kim suddenly left us on Jan. 5,” the late performer’s agency, Landscape Entertainment, said in a statement translated by the publication Korea JoongAng Daily. “The bereaved are deep in their sorrow at the sudden sadness. Please refrain from reporting false rumors or speculation so that the family can mourn in peace.”
The cause of Kim’s death was not disclosed. Due to Korean age calculation, her age at death has also been varyingly reported as 30 and 31.
Kim — whose name is also spelled “Misu” — is best remembered for her role in the controversial South Korean television series “Snowdrop.” The show, which premiered in December, is a period drama set in 1987 Korea that tells the story of a romance budding amid the political turmoil of the pro-democracy movement. Its depiction of North Koreans, song choice and historical accuracy have sparked protest, with pushback hurting the shares of multiple affiliated companies and one petition against it reportedly garnering over 300,000 signatures, according to Variety.
Kim played a history student and the roommate of Young-ro, the series’ female protagonist, played by South Korean singer Jisoo of the wildly popular group Blackpink.
Prior to her appearance in “Snowdrop,” which streams on producer JTBC Studios’ network in Korea and on Disney+ elsewhere, Kim appeared in a variety of other films and shorts. These included her debut in the 2018 short “Lipstick Revolution,” the 2019 films “Memories” and “Kyungmi’s World,” the 2019 JTBC drama series “Human Luwak” and, in 2020, the shows “Hi Bye, Mama!” and “Into the Ring,” according to JoongAng Daily.
The month before the “Snowdrop” premiere, she also appeared in the hit Netflix drama “Hellbound,” which knocked “Squid Game” from the streaming giant’s most-watched series slot.