Lee Eun-ju (December 22, 1980 – February 22, 2005) was a South Korean actress. She was the star of hit films including ''

Taegukgi The national flag of South Korea, also known as the Taegukgi (also spelled as ''Taegeukgi'', ) and colloquially known as the flag of Korea, has three parts: a white rectangular background, a red and blue Taegeuk in its center, accompanied by fo ...

'' and ''

The Scarlet Letter ''The Scarlet Letter: A Romance'' is a work of historical fiction Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym ...

''. She

died by suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

at age 24.

Life and career

Born in Gunsan, Jeollabuk-do, South Korea, Lee studied piano for much of her youth, without giving much thought to becoming an actress. She moved to

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

after graduating high school and was first noticed in the mid-1990s as a model for school uniforms. After finding work as a model, she began to be offered roles in various TV dramas, including ''Start'' and ''KAIST''. Her film debut came in 1999, when she played the younger sister in Park Chong-wan's award-winning feature ''Rainbow Trout''. Her first lead role came as the title character in Hong Sang-soo's ''

Virgin Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors ''Virgin Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors'' (''Oh! Soo-jung'') is a 2000 South Korean erotic comedy-drama, directed by Hong Sang-soo. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival. It follows the romantic travail ...

'' (2000). Following this, she teamed with actor

Lee Byung-hun Lee Byung-hun (; born July 12, 1970) is a South Korean actor. He has received critical acclaim for his work in a wide range of genres, most notably ''Joint Security Area'' (2000); ''A Bittersweet Life'' (2005); ''The Good, the Bad, the Weird'' ...

in the 2001 hit film ''

Bungee Jumping of Their Own ''Bungee Jumping of Their Own'' () is a 2001 South Korean film starring Lee Byung-hun and Lee Eun-ju. The film had 947,000 admissions, making it the 10th most attended film of the year.

'', and also scored a hit opposite Cha Tae-hyun in the melodrama '' Lovers' Concerto''. Lee's later career was marked by several turns in films that failed at the box-office, plus a key role in the record-breaking

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film ''

''. In 2004 she appeared in the very popular Korean drama, '' Phoenix'', and later that year she starred in her last feature,

Daniel H. Byun Byun Hyuk (born January 1, 1966), also known as Daniel H. Byun, is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. He graduated from La Fémis in 1997. Best known for his working on his film debut ''Interview'' (2000) using the Dogme 95 movement, ...

's ''

'' which screened as the Closing Film at the 2004

Pusan International Film Festival The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF, previously Pusan International Film Festival, PIFF), held annually in Haeundae-gu, Busan (''also'' Pusan), South Korea, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. The first festi ...

. "I'm called a new generation star, but I don't want to be the kind of person who achieves instant fame and then is quickly forgotten. I want to learn step-by-step how to become a good actress, and gradually work my way up. A star achieves brilliance, but is soon forgotten; to become an actress takes more time." nterview Excerpt: Kino, #60, February 2000ref name=paquet />

Death and subsequent tributes

On the night of February 22, 2005, only a few days after her graduation from Dankook University, Lee died by

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

at her apartment in

Bundang, Seongnam Bundang is a planned community in the Bundang-gu district of Seongnam, South Korea. It was developed to encourage affordable housing and urban decentralization. The community has a sports complex, a park and a youth center. Origin Bundang ...

, after slitting her wrists and

hanging Hanging is the suspension of a person by a noose or ligature around the neck.Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. Hanging as method of execution is unknown, as method of suicide from 1325. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' states that hanging i ...

herself. She was 24 years old. The family blamed the suicide on severe bouts of depression and

mental illness A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitti ...

and said she had been suffering from

insomnia Insomnia, also known as sleeplessness, is a sleep disorder in which people have trouble sleeping. They may have difficulty falling asleep, or staying asleep as long as desired. Insomnia is typically followed by daytime sleepiness, low energy, ...

due to the

nude scene In film, nudity may be either graphic or suggestive, such as when a person appears to be naked but is covered by a sheet. Since the birth of film, depictions of any form of sexuality have been controversial, and in the case of most nude scene ...

s she had done in ''The Scarlet Letter'', but it could also be traced from ''

'', where all her characters since then have died, so she was too invested in her characters. She left a suicide note scrawled in blood, in which she wrote, "Mom, I am sorry and I love you." A separate note said, "I wanted to do too much. Even though I live, I'm not really alive. I don't want anyone to be disappointed. It's nice having money... I wanted to make money." The news of her death prompted a massive outpouring of grief from fellow actors and filmmakers and fans. Lee Eun-ju was cremated and enshrined in a

crypt A crypt (from Latin ''crypta'' "vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, sarcophagi, or religious relics. Originally, crypts were typically found below the main apse of a chur ...

Goyang Goyang (''Goyang-si''; ) is a city in Gyeonggi Province in the north of South Korea. It is part of the Seoul Capital Area, making Goyang one of Seoul's satellite cities. It is one of the largest cities in the Seoul Capital Area, with a populatio ...

. Hundreds of her fellow actors and entertainers attended her funeral. Vocalist Bada sang "You Were Born to be Loved", and friends spoke in her memory. Her friends and colleagues have held memorials for Lee every year since her death. The 2007 event was marked by a music CD released in her name, featuring

remastered Remaster refers to changing the quality of the sound or of the image, or both, of previously created recordings, either audiophonic, cinematic, or videographic. The terms digital remastering and digitally remastered are also used. Mastering A ...

versions of her cover performance of '' The Corrs "

Only When I Sleep "Only When I Sleep" is a song by Celtic folk rock band the Corrs, released in September 1997 as the first single from their second album, ''Talk on Corners'' (1997). The song focuses on being in love with someone in your dreams, not anyone in rea ...

" from ''

'', as well as tribute performances by her friends in the entertainment industry.

Filmography

Film

Television series

Music video

Discography

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Eun-ju 1980 births People from Gunsan Dankook University alumni Suicides by hanging in South Korea South Korean film actresses South Korean television actresses 2005 suicides Female suicides 2005 deaths