CNN reports that South Korean actress Park So Dam, who shot to fame worldwide thanks to her starring role in the Oscar-winning film Parasite, was diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer.
Her agency, ArtistCompany, announced in a statement sent to CNN that the actress, aged 30, was diagnosed during a regular health check and underwent surgery.
Papillary thyroid cancer, according to the UK’s National Health Service (NHS), is the most common type of thyroid cancer. It usually affects people, particularly women, under 40 years of age, and tends to be easier to treat than other types of thyroid cancer.
The NHS says on its website that “Around 9 in every 10 people are alive 5 years after a diagnosis of thyroid cancer. Many of these are cured and will have a normal lifespan.”
Park’s illness has halted plans to promote her upcoming film, Special Delivery, which leaves her “very disappointed”. And as stated through ArtistCompany:
“The company would like to once again thank all the people for showing support for Special Delivery and actress Park So Dam, as well as the actors and crew of Special Delivery overcoming this difficult time together. Actor Park So Dam will focus on her recovery so that she can see you all healthy in the future, and ArtistCompany will also do our best to help the actor recover her health.”
Park was in a number of South Korean movies and TV series, including The Priests (2015) and The Silenced (2015), but her breakout role occurred in 2019 with the global hit Parasite.
Bong Joon Ho’s film became both the first non-English language film and the first South Korean film to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards in February 2020. Park plays Kim Ki Jung, a young woman from a poor family who takes up the disguise as an art therapist in order to get a job teaching the children of a wealthy family.
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