Actor Kim Young-ok. [Herald Muse]
Actor Kim Young-ok. [Herald Muse]

Actor Kim Young-ok has spoken about missing her late colleague Kim Su-mi.

On Thursday, Kim Young-ok appeared on a YouTube channel alongside Na Moon-hee. After wrapping up filming for singer-actor IU's new music video, the two visited a restaurant in Gwangju.

When a banchan dish of stir-fried small hairtail fish arrived at the table, Kim said she had not even known the word "pulchi" before. "But it makes me think of Kim Su-mi," she said. "When she made pulchi and braised chili peppers, it was just so delicious."

Kim recalled how Kim Su-mi used to bring side dishes and cook full meals for the cast during filming of the drama series "Jeonwon Ilgi." "We'll all go eventually, but thinking about someone who left before us — I feel a sense of regret, like I didn't do enough for her," she said with a sigh.

Kim Young-ok also spoke about her bond with Na Moon-hee. "We met as first-generation MBC recruits, and I think the reason we connected so deeply was that I always held on to you and talked your ear off," she said. "You were like family to me. The fact that you looked up to me as an older sister — even now, thinking back on it, it moves me."

Na said Kim Young-ok is the only person who calls her every week without fail. "That's not something anyone can do just because they're told to," she said. Kim replied, "You have no idea how precious it is to have a friend you can open your heart to like this at our age."

Kim Su-mi was found unresponsive at her home on Oct. 25, 2024, and was rushed to a hospital, where she died. She was 75.

Born in 1949, Kim Su-mi made her debut in 1970 as a third-round open-recruitment talent at MBC. She became a beloved national actor through her role as Iryong's mother in the MBC drama series "Jeonwon Ilgi," which ran for 22 years beginning in 1980.


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