South Korean actor Song Young-kyu, who starred in the popular Extreme Job, has been dead at the age of 55.
Reports from several South Korean media agencies, including Deadline, Variety, and Yonhap News Agency, indicate that Song was found dead inside a parked car in a residential area in Yongin, just 25 miles from Seoul, about 8 a.m. local time on Monday, August 4. The corpse was discovered by a friend, and officials said there were no indications of foul play or that any suicide note had been left behind at the scene.
The actor’s sudden demise is weeks after he was caught up in a DUI case in June. As reported in Yonhap through citations of police reports, Song drove about three miles while under the influence and his blood alcohol concentration was so high that in South Korea his driver’s license could have been revoked. There were professional repercussions. He was immediately taken out of three big projects, two TV dramas, The Defects and The Winning Try, and a much-awaited stage production of Shakespeare in Love.
Song Young-kyu was a household name in South Korean films and streaming dramas. Though Extreme Job in 2019 gained him significant fame playing Chief Choi in the record-breaking action-comedy, his career did not end there. He played significant roles in 2022 through Netflix’s Narco-Saints and Disney+’s Big Bet, solidifying his versatility and presence in film and television.
In spite of ongoing legal problems and abrupt hiatus in acting career, there had been no open signs of extreme personal anguish. Police insisted that nothing on the scene indicated suicide or murder, even going so far as to indicate that probes would proceed but without suspicion.
Song is survived by his two daughters and wife. His death has triggered sadness and shock among fans, his colleagues, and the rest of the entertainment sector in South Korea. Many people are now recalling him not only for his acting roles but for his long service to theater and television in the past years.
As tributes come in, the showbiz is left in shock at the untimely death of a prominent talent whose latter years had been nothing short of glorious and bumpy. With his passing, South Korea loses another highly esteemed actor who infused every performance he made with emotion, grit, and realism.
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