Actor Chae Si-ra [Newsis]
Actor Chae Si-ra [Newsis]

Actor Chae Si-ra, who had been mourning the death of Choi Bool-am, was struck by fresh grief Wednesday upon learning of the passing of screenwriter Jeong Ha-yeon.

Chae wrote on her Instagram account that day: "Another master has left us within just a few days. Writer Jeong Ha-yeon of 'The King and the Queen' and 'Queen Insoo' — I had been thinking lately that she must be getting on in years and that I wanted to see her. Then I saw the news, and I was hit by shock and regret."

Chae recalled that when the two first met during the production of "The King and the Queen," Jeong told her: "I'm going to write the story of Queen Insoo someday, and from the moment I saw you in 'Miwang,' I decided you would play Queen Insoo." She said that remark had made up her mind, and that 13 years later she met the role of Queen Insoo once more. "How rare it is — and how meaningful — to work with the same writer on the same role twice in a lifetime. I am simply grateful," she added.

Chae said she had no photos together with Jeong, but that she had cherished the sight of the writer coming to every weekly script reading without fail. "I was so grateful that she drew such a wonderful character for me," she said.

She added: "You worked so hard, writing scripts every week for your entire life. Please rest now — your mind and your heart both. Teacher."

According to the Korea Broadcast Writers Association and the family, Jeong died Sunday afternoon. She was 82.

Born in Hwanghae Province in 1944, Jeong was a graduate of Yonsei University's Yeonhee Theater and Arts Research Society. She made her literary debut in 1968 when her one-act play "Sanullim" won a spring literary contest.

Beginning with "Jang Nok-su," she went on to score a string of hits with large-scale Sageuk dramas — including "Jo Gwang-jo," "The King and the Queen," "Empress Myeongseong," "Sindon" and "Queen Insoo" — earning her the title of "master of the Sageuk drama."

She also made a name for herself with melodramas exploring human desire, among them "Desire on Sand," "Sea of Desire" and "Flames of Desire."

Her final work as a writer was the 2018 MBC drama series "Hold Me Tight."

Jeong received the Dong-A Theater Award special prize and the Baeksang Arts Awards playwriting prize in 1979 for "Maronie-ui Gil." For "The King and the Queen," she won the KBS Drama Awards writing prize in 1999 and the Korea Broadcast Producers Award for writing in 2000.


yul@heraldcorp.com