Veteran South Korean actor Kim Joo-hyuk (The Truth Beneath, Confidential Assignment) has passed away after sustaining a serious head injury in a car crash in Seoul on Monday, 30th October. He was 45.
According to local TV reports, Kim was driving a Mercedes-Benz SUV in the Gangnam area of Seoul when the car lost control and crashed into an apartment building before catching fire. He was not breathing when firefighters pulled him out of the wreck. Early autopsy reports have disproved the news of a heart attack as the cause of death, which several news stories had reported initially, with a fatal head injury now believed to have killed the actor instantly.
Known for his acclaimed performances in both movies and TV dramas, Kim Joo-hyuk had just won a Seoul Award last week in the Best Supporting Actor category for Confidential Assignment. His other notable films include The Tooth and the Nail (2017), Like for Likes (2016), The Servant (2010) and My Wife Got Married (2008). Kim has also starred in hit TV dramas like Hur Jun, The Original Story (2013), God of War (2012) and Lovers in Prague (2005).
His last drama Argon, where he plays a principled news anchor, can be currently seen on Netflix. Two of his films are slated for release next year – Heung-bu, a period drama, and Drug War, a crime thriller. Kim had also signed up recently for the period-zombie film Rampant, co-starring Hyun Bin and Jang Dong-gun, but hadn’t begun shooting for his role.
(Source: Variety, Straits Times)