Actress Kang Soo-youn taken to hospital with cardiac arrest

South Korean actress Kang Soo-youn has been taken to hospital with cardiac arrest, according to local reports on Thursday.

Citing the police and emergency authorities, local reports said she was found with cardiac arrest at around 5 p.m. in Gangnam and given cardiopulmonary resuscitation while being taken to a nearby hospital.

Born in 1966, Kang became the first Korean actor to receive an award at a major international film festival as she was honored with the best actress award at the 1987 Venice International Film Festival for her leading role in the film “The Surrogate Woman,” a 1986 film directed by renowned Korean director Im Kwon-taek.

Two years later, she won another best actress award at the 16th Moscow International Film Festival for her role in the film “Come, Come, Come Upward,” also directed by Im.

Throughout the 1990s, Kang starred in a number of box office hits as she cemented her status as one of the top actresses during the period. 

The iconic actress served as a co-executive director at the Busan International Film Festival from 2015 to 2017.

Kang is in the upcoming sci-fi film “Jung_E,” her first commercial movie appearance in 10 years. The film, directed by Yeon Sang-ho, has completed shooting and is expected to be released on Netflix later this year.

By Kan Hyeong-woo (hwkan@heraldcorp.com)