In Honor of South Korean Actress Lee Joo Shil (1944 – 2025)

If you are a loyal K-drama viewer then you know some certain veteran senior actors and actresses are very recognizable. You see them so often that you take them for granted, and yet their presence – even though it may be for a brief moment – is memorable. You become so comfortable with them, they’re like your grandma or grandpa.

• Lee Joo Shil (March 8, 1944 – February 2, 2025) is one of those actresses who is worthy of honor. ‘Squid Game’ actress Lee Joo Sil passes away – all you need to know | The Economic Times

Her acting career began in 1964, having roles in movies and television series. In the 1990s, she overcame Stage 4 breast cancer. The doctors told her she might only live for a year. Clearly she’s a fighter! On February 2, 2025, she passed away while undergoing hospital treatment for stomach cancer. At the age of 80, her last role was as Hwang Jun-Ho’s mom in Squid Game 2. Give this woman a standing ovation!

PopGeeks has reviewed several Korean dramas where she played a role.

A Time Called You – Lee Joo Shil played Park Mal Soon, the mother of the main character, Ahn Hyo-seop’s character, a young man named Kim Young-soo ho endured various challenges and hardships. She supported him the way a strong and caring mother would.

Divorce Attorney Shin – She played Yang Bok-Sun, an elderly woman who ran a restaurant, and her recipe for corn sujebi was stolen by a relative who was making a lot of money from it.

Juvenile Justice – Lee Joo Shil was the grandmother of one of the juveniles that Judge Sim Eun-Seok was trying to steer onto a righteous path.

Happiness – A mysterious virus turns people into vampires. She played Ji Sung-Sil in Unit #302 who tried to hide that someone in her family was infected because tenants who were infected had to be removed from the rest of the population.

The Witch’s Diner – In this K-drama customers come into the diner, order a meal, and make a wish. But it comes at a great cost. Once the wish is granted it can’t be reversed. Lee Joo Shil played Lee Bok-Nan, one of the customers.

Move To Heaven – Lee Joo Shil played Kim Soon-ja, the grandmother of the main character, Han Geu-ru, a young man with Asperger syndrome.

Sell Your Haunted House – Her character Yoo Young-Soon has a ghost in her home and calls for the exorcist.

• The Uncanny Counter 1 and 2 – So Mun, the lead character, was injured in a car accident when he was young. He walks with a limp and believes he is handicapped until he discovers he has an uncanny talent for fighting evil spirits which gives him powers and cures his limp. He is raised by his grandparents. Lee Joo Shil played Jang Choon-Ok, his grandmother and she suffers from dementia.

Bad Thief, Good Thief – Lee Joo Shil played the role of Kim Soon-ja, the caring and supportive grandmother of Jang Dol-mok, a member of a group of thieves united to fight corruption. They fancy themselves having a role similar to the Korean Independence Fighters.

Voice 1 and 4 – In Voice 1, she had a small part as a restaurant owner, and in Voice 4, she is the grandmother of one of the members of the Golden Time Team.

Svaha: The Sixth Finger – In this supernatural thriller Korean drama, Geum-Hwa has a twin who was born a hideous monster. Lee Joo-Sil plays Geum-Hwa’s grandmother.

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Hubb, Hollywood News. “‘Squid Games’ Famed Lee Joo-Sil Dies after Losing Battle with Cancer.” YouTube, Video, 2 Feb. 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_48Dj-2dlc.

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