Theater pioneer Yoon Suk-hwa dies at 69

Yoon uk-hwa, a leading figure in Korea's first generation of modern theater actors, died Friday after battling a brain tumor. She was 69. The Korean Actors Association said Yoon died at 9:54 a.m. at Severance Hospital in Seoul, with family members and close acquaintances at her side. Reports of her death had circulated earlier in the day before her passing was officially confirmed several hours later. Yoon had been in treatment since October 2022, when she underwent surgery for a malignant brain tumor. Earlier that same year she had appeared as Ophelia in a production of "Hamlet." After publicly disclosing her illness, she made her final stage appearance in 2023 with a brief guest role in the play "Toccata" at LG Arts Center in Seoul. Gil Hae-yeon, chair of the Theater People Welfare Foundation of Korea, said Yoon was “a central pillar of Korea’s theater community and someone who recognized and put into practice the importance of artists’ welfare earlier than anyone else.” “Her dedication to laying the foundation for the foundation and to protecting the rights of theater artist