S Korean actress found dead in suspected suicide
Posted: 02 October 2008 1547 hrs

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SEOUL : Choi Jin-sil, one of South Korea's most popular actresses, was found dead in a suspected suicide on Thursday, police said.

Popularly known as "The Nation's Actress", Choi's body was found in the bathroom of her Seoul home with an elastic band around her neck. An investigation was under way to determine the exact cause of death.

Police confirmed that Choi had sent a mobile text message to an acquaintance before her death. "The text message reads like a suicide note," an officer said.

Her death comes a month after the suicide of a fellow actor rumoured to owe her money.

The 40-year-old mother of two made her debut in the late 1980s and quickly became one of South Korea's best-loved actresses.

She starred in a number of box-office hits, including the films "My Love, My Bride" and "How to Top My Wife", and TV dramas such as "Jealousy," "My Rosy Life" and "Bad Woman, Good Woman."

Choi was preparing for the second season of the TV drama "The Last Scandal of My Life" in which she played a woman who finds love with a top actor after a painful divorce.

She was reportedly suffering mental stress in recent weeks amid unsubstantiated rumours that she had lent money to actor Ahn Jae-hwan, who was found dead in his car last month in an apparent suicide.

Choi denied the rumours that Ahn killed himself after the actress pressured him to repay the debt.

- CNA/il