[서울신문] Public petition for “Left alone in France” movie star Yoon Jung-hee

Fighting Alzheimer’s for over 10 years
“Fall away, disconnected from the outside”

The suspicion was raised that the legendary movie star Yoon Jung-hee (77, real name Son Mi-ja), who gained great popularity in the 1960s and 1970s, was left alone in France even while fighting Alzheimer’s disease. Yoon Jung-hee married pianist Paik Kun-woo (75) in 1976 and has a daughter.

On the 5th of the Cheong Wa Dae’s public petition bulletin board, a message was posted on the 5th, saying, “Please save the movie star Yoon Jung-hee who passes away day by day while disconnected from the outside”. Currently, the real name is hidden by the administrator.

Petitioner said about Yoon Jeong-hee’s condition, “He is living alone with Alzheimer’s and diabetes in an apartment outside Paris without being cared for by his spouse because he is separated from his husband. I am living and cannot enter.”

“I have a daughter nearby, but my life is busy due to work and family life, so I cannot properly take care of my mother.” He said, “Neglected by her immediate family, her spouse and daughter, Yun is struggling with illness alone. I can’t go outside alone and live like a prison.”

Petitioner said, “(Yoon’s) brothers asked their daughters to call and visit freely, but they set the number and time as if visiting a prisoner in prison.” “Personal freedom is seriously violated The basic rights of humans cannot be found.”

Cheong Won-in said, “It has been two years since my husband, Paik Kun-woo, has not seen his wife. He said he couldn’t do anything better, and left the brothers to take care of his wife’s care. At the end of April 2019, he suddenly appeared with his daughter and forcibly awakened Yoon, who was sleeping, and dragged him as if he was kidnapped.”

“Afterwards, Yoon’s husband appeared in Seoul and volunteered to interview the media. He said, “(Mr. Yoon, who was cheerful), was taken to France and hospitalized for a fracture of the thigh, and his face looks 20 years old.” Told.

Lastly, Petitioner said, “Yoon has lived in Paris for a long time, but he loves Korean and Korean movies, and has not given up his Korean nationality.” “Mr. Yoon always wanted to spend his retirement in Korean land and was neglected by his immediate family. He said, “I hope I can spend the rest of my life in Korea, free from the situation where even basic human rights have been deprived.”

Petitioner added, “Since brothers and sisters waited patiently, begging for proper care and treatment, and requesting conversation, there was no response at all and spreading only the baseless brothers around them, so they petitioned as a last resort.”

“It was really hard” Paik’s confession by his daughter

Vinche-ro, a performance planning company in charge of Paik Kun-woo’s performance in Korea in 2019, revealed that Yoon Jung-hee’s condition had worsened. Yoon Jung-hee explained that she was staying next door to her daughter in Paris, France, and was taking care of her.

Yoon Jung-hee’s fight against Alzheimer’s disease was a secret shared only by close acquaintances in the film industry and classical music industry, but at the time, Paik Kun-woo and his daughter confessed through media interviews and became known.

Baek Geon-woo said, “I wrap up my performance and go to the concert hall, but I ask why we are going. It was like asking the same question 100 times until I got up on the stage.” “Even when I saw my daughter, I couldn’t tell my youngest brother. At first, it was difficult for me to accept it.”

Daughter Baek Jin-hee also said, “It was really hard when you couldn’t recognize me. When I say’Mom’, I ask again,’Why are you calling me mom?’” At the time, a classical music official said, “Paek Kun-woo is in vain thinking of Yoon Jung-hee, who is in medical care in Paris.”

2010 movie’Poetry’ is the last work

Yoon Jung-hee was called’Actress Troika’ along with Moon-hee and Nam Jeong-im in the 1960s. Appeared in 320 films. The last work is the 2010 movie’Poetry’ (director Chang-dong Lee). In this film, Jung-hee Yoon played’Mi-ja,’ a grandmother who raises a grandson alone and learns poetry at a late age, and swept the Best Actress Award at a domestic film awards ceremony. He stepped on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival and won the LA Critics Association Award for Best Actress.

‘Mija’ was a role that suffered from early symptoms of Alzheimer’s. It is known that the work was written by director Chang-dong Lee with Yoon Jung-hee in mind. The name Mija is Yoon Jung-hee’s real name.

Reporter Kim Yoo-min [email protected]