Nakamura Yuri. [Alpha Agency website]
Nakamura Yuri. [Alpha Agency website]

Nakamura Yuri, a fourth-generation Zainichi Korean actor based in Japan, died Sept. 1 after a prolonged battle with colorectal cancer. She was 44.

Alpha Agency of Japan confirmed Tuesday that Nakamura had first been diagnosed with cancer 13 years ago and was later declared cancer-free. She returned to the entertainment industry after her recovery, but the cancer recurred in early last year. Despite undergoing surgery, doctors found the disease had spread, and she continued receiving treatment until recently.

Nakamura was born in Osaka in 1982 to a third-generation Zainichi Korean father and a mother from Seoul.

She made her debut as an idol singer in 1998 before transitioning to acting. She rose to stardom in 2007 playing the lead role of "Gyeongja" in "Pacchigi! Love & Peace," a film centered on the Zainichi Korean experience. That year, during a visit to the Busan International Film Festival, she told Korean media that she understood the discrimination Gyeongja faces as a Zainichi Korean.

She went on to appear in a range of films, including "Kiseki," "Like Father, Like Son" and "The Bride Who Crossed Eight Years," building a broad following. Last year, she appeared alongside Han Hyo-joo in the Netflix drama series "Romantic Anonymous."

Nakamura had been set to star in "Dangerous," an NHK drama series scheduled to air in January, but withdrew from the project as her condition worsened.


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