Actress Yoon Jeong-hee / Korea Times file

By Kwak Yeon-soo

Yoon Jeong-hee, one of the biggest stars of Korean cinema in the 1960s and 1970s, has died in Paris at the age of 78, according to her family on Friday.

"It is with great sadness that my wife Yoon Jeong-hee passed away around 5 p.m. Thursday (local time). She died peacefully listening to our daughter Jin-hee playing the violin," Yoon's husband pianist Paik Kun-woo said in a statement. "The funeral will be held in France attended by close family. Although she is no longer here with us, please remember her kind soul and passion for film."

No other details were released about the cause of her death. However, Yoon had long suffered from Alzheimer's disease. She was also diagnosed with diabetes.

Yoon was part of the "troika" of popular actresses in Korea in the 1960s and 1970s, along with Moon Hee and Nam Jeong-im.

Yoon, whose actual name is Son Mi-ja, was born in 1944 and debuted in 1967 in director Gang Dae-jin's "Sorrowful Youth." Yoon became one of the most prolific actresses of her day, appearing in period pieces such as "The Three-Day Reign" (1973) and melodramas like "Affair on the Beach" (1970).

Her 1972 work "Oyster Village," directed by Jung Jin-woo, was named best film at the Blue Dragon Film Awards ― where she also won the best actress award ― and was nominated for a Golden Bear at the 22nd Berlin International Film Festival.

In 1973, she moved to France to pursue film studies. There she met pianist Paik and the two got married in 1976.

After winning a Grand Bell Award for her role in the 1994 Korean War epic "Manmubang," Yoon disappeared from the public eye.

In 2010, she returned to the big screen through auteur Lee Chang-dong's Cannes-winning "Poetry," in which she played a character with Alzheimer's.

Actress Yoon Jeong-hee, right, and her husband, pianist Paik Kun-woo / Korea Times file

She received the best actress award at the Blue Dragon Awards, Grand Bell Awards and Los Angeles Film Critics Association for her role. In 2011, she received the Order of Arts and Letters from the French government in recognition of her contributions to film.

Overall, she has starred in nearly 300 films and earned 24 best actress awards at domestic and international ceremonies.

She also served on the jury at various international film festivals, including the Montreal World Film Festival in 1995, the Mumbai Film Festival in 2010 and the Dinard Film Festival and the Blue Dragon Film Awards in 2016.

In 2019, Yoon became the center of a fight over her legal guardianship. Her siblings accused Paik and their daughter Jin-hee of neglecting Yoon in France. In 2021, Yoon's daughter won a case in a Korean court over the legal guardianship of her mother. Yoon's sibling appealed, but the case is likely to be dismissed.

Tributes poured in for Yoon after her death.

Culture Minister Park Bo-gyoon paid tribute, saying "Yoon Jeong-hee was a prominent figure in Korean cinema whose commitment and passion toward acting and artistic soul inspired many younger actors. Her legacy will continue to live in us."

Filmmaker Shin Jung-kyun shared a condolence message on his Facebook, "Farewell to a star of the silver screen. Actress Yoon Jeon-hee had worked closely with my late father, director Shin Sang-ok, on several projects including 'Sim Cheong' (1972). She will be missed dearly."

Won Dong-yeon, the producer behind the "Along with the Gods" film franchise, wrote, "Actress Yoon Jeong-hee was so young at heart and she captivated audiences with her elegant acting."