| Choi Eun-hee | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 20, 1926 |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1947–1985 |
| Spouse | Shin Sang-ok |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 최은희 |
| Hanja | 崔銀姬 |
| Revised Romanization | Choe Eun-Hui |
| McCune–Reischauer | Ch'oe Ǔn-hŭi |
Choi Eun-hee (born November 20, 1926) is a South Korean actress. She began her film career in 1947 in the film A New Oath. For the next 20 years, she was one of the biggest stars in Korean film and led the Shin Film company along with her husband, the director Shin Sang-ok.
In 1978, Choi and Shin, who she had recently divorced, were kidnapped to North Korea by orders from future dictator Kim Jong-il. Kim's plan was to have Shin work as his propagandist and for Choi to be the star. Shortly after agreeing to the demands of Kim, they were remarried at his recommendation. The couple finally staged their escape in 1986 while on a trip to Vienna, fleeing to the United States embassy and requesting political asylum.
According to the Internet Movie Database, from 1955 to 1985, Choi appeared in eighty-one films. She received the award for best actress at the Moscow International Film Festival in 1985, for her part in the film Sogum.[1]
With Shin she wrote an account of their years in Pyongyang.[2] Shin also wrote his own autobiography shortly before his death.[3]