S. Korean veteran actress dies at age 74

November 19, 2015
Kim Hye-jung (Yonhap)

Kim Hye-jung (Yonhap)

Veteran actress Kim Hye-jung died Thursday after being hit by a taxi while using a Seoul crosswalk.

She was 74.

According to Yonhap, Kim was crossing the street in Seocho District around 4:20 a.m. when she was hit by a taxi. She died while being taken to a hospital, Seoul police said.

Kim had been on her way to a local church for early morning prayer.

Police are looking at area cameras for investigation.

The actress, born in Gyeongnam as the fourth of seven siblings, lost her father during the Korean War.

Growing up with a love of the theater, she wrote letters to film directors in Seoul for a chance at stardom. She was in high school when she starred in her first film, “Will Spring Come Again,” in 1958.

She would go on to star in 127 more films.

After marrying a chaebol — the former president of Dong-a Group — in 1969, she left the industry. The pair divorced five years later.

She is survived by a son and daughter.