Jang Jin-yeong Loses Battle with Cancer

The actress Jang Jin-yeong died at the St. Mary's Hospital in Seoul at 4:05 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon. She was 37. Jang had been diagnosed with stomach cancer in September 2008 and courageously battled the illness, receiving medical treatment in the United States and seeking help from traditional acupuncture and oriental medicine.

Jang has been hospitalized in Seoul since her condition worsened recently. Doctors reportedly gave her morphine and other drugs to relieve the pain.

Jang was seen at a concert in May, when her condition temporarily improved, and announced that she had a boyfriend after coming back from the U.S. But her health began to deteriorate in August and she was hospitalized again. It is then when she learned the cancer had spread to all over her body and recovery was impossible.

Born in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, Jang made her debut after winning a regional division of the 1993 Miss Korea beauty pageant. She mainly worked as a model in her early career, and began moving toward TV soap operas and sitcoms in 1997. Her film debut came in 1999 with "Ghost in Love", and became prolific with a series of movies such as "The Foul King" (2000), "Sorum" (2001), "The Scent of Love" (2003), "Singles" (2003), and "Blue Swallow" (2005).

She won many film awards during her career, including the prestigious Blue Dragon Film Awards for best leading actress for her performance in "Sorum" and "Between Love and Hate" ("The Unbearable Lightness of Dating" - 2006). She was also very active as an advertising model.

Jang returned to TV after long absence with SBS TV drama "Lobbyist" in October 2007. It was to be her last work.