Choi Jin-sil (최진실) was a talented actress from South Korea. Nicknamed “The Nation’s Actress”, she starred in movies The Legend of Gingko (단적비연수), The Letter (편지), and My Bride My Love (나의 사랑, 나의 신부). A full list of her accomplishments on the screen can be found at wikipedia; she was a prolific TV and movie actress.

Her personal life was full of scandal and misfortune. A brief timeline might be the best format for presenting the history that led to her impulsive suicide:

• 1968 – Born on December 24
• 1988 – Starred in Joseon Dynasty 500 years (조선왕조 오백년)
• 1994 – Former manager Bae Byeong-su was murdered by her road manager, Jeon Yong-cheol
• 1998 – Met Cho Sung-min, a pitcher for Japanese pro baseball team the Yomiuri Giants, at a TV show
• 2000 – Married Cho Sung-min
• 2002 – Seperated from Cho Sung-min
• 2004 – Divorced Cho Sung-min for adultery, domestic violence, and debts
• 2008 September – Actor Ahn Jae-hwan committed suicide after incurring large debts due to failed business projects
• 2008 September – A rumour is started that Choi Jin-sil lent Ahn $2M; the police arrested a suspect who started the rumour for defamation
• 2008 October – Suicide by hanging

On October 1, the night before her death, Choi had a drink with her manager, and sent a text message with the text:

“take care of my children no matter what happens” and “I’m sorry”

Choi Jin-sil then went home, locked herself in the bathroom, and hung herself by the neck with the shower hose in the bathtub. Her mother reported that Choi was drunk when she returned home. Yang Jae-ho, chief investigator at Seoul’s Seocho Police Station, said “Given the results of an examination showing no trace of physical trauma on her body, we concluded that it was a suicide.”

And so, in a tragic story of perpetual depressive unhappiness, coupled with substance abuse, another bright flame is extinguished.