Cho Sung-min

Cho Sung-min
Hangul 조성민
Hanja 趙成珉
Revised Romanization Jo Seongmin
McCune–Reischauer Cho Sŏngmin

Cho Sung-min (Hangul: 조성민; April 5, 1973 – January 6, 2013) was a South Korean professional baseball player with the Yomiuri Giants of Japan. He also received media attention for his much-publicized marriage and divorce from actress Choi Jin-sil.

Career

Cho Sung-min dominated the baseball amateur league in the 1990s, and with his attractive looks and top-class pitching skills, he had many female fans in Korea and Japan. Cho joined Japan's Yomiuri Giants in 1996, and his best years as a pro-baseball player were 1997-1998 when he was named an All-Star pitcher for the Central League after racking up a record of seven wins, six losses and a 2.75 ERA in the first half of the 1998 season.[1]

But after peaking his career soon went downhill, with a prolonged slump due to ankle injuries. He left the Yomiuri Giants in 2002.[2] He returned to the Korean baseball league in 2005 to play for the Hanwha Eagles until October 2007,[3] but instead of making an impressive comeback, he had to leave the team in 2007 with a disappointing performance.[4] He briefly worked as a TV commentator, before joining the Doosan Bears in 2011 as a coach of one of their minor league teams. He refused to extend his contract with the club in November 2012 when his term ended.[5]

Cho also tried his hand at various businesses including an unsuccessful bakery chain, and invested heavily into a baseball management company he had set up in 2008.[6]

Marriage and divorce

Cho's personal life was as turbulent as his career. He first met actress Choi Jin-sil on the set of a television show in 1998. At the time, Cho was a promising player and one of the league's all-star team members, while Choi had starred in dozens of films and television dramas in the 1980s and 90s and was dubbed the "nation's actress."[7]

Cho and Choi married in a lavish wedding ceremony in 2000.[8] A few years later, however, the couple grabbed headlines in Korea when they accused each other of being "unfaithful" and they divorced in August 2004 after Cho was arrested for beating his wife.[9][10]

The ex-baseball star remarried in 2007 but was apparently separated since 2010.[6]

After Choi Jin-sil committed suicide by hanging in October 2008, Cho was embroiled in a dispute with her bereaved family as he sought custody of his son Hwan-hee and daughter Jun-hee. Choi Jin-sil's younger brother, the singer Choi Jin-young, deemed Cho's move as a step to take over his late sister's wealth that her children were to inherit. The case was settled as Cho gave up his rights over her property, and the children were left in the legal custody of their maternal grandmother.[11][12]

Choi's death resulted in a number of copycat suicides among Koreans, including celebrities. A year and a half later, Choi Jin-young also killed himself in March 2010.[13][14][15][16]

In November 2012, Cho had a scuffle with strangers at a pub and underwent police questioning.[7][17]

Death

On January 6, 2013, Cho's body was discovered by his girlfriend, hanged in the bathroom of her apartment in Dogok-dong, southern Seoul, at around 5:26 a.m. According to investigators from the Suseo Police Station, on the night before his death, Cho drank three bottles of soju with his 40-year-old girlfriend, identified only by her surname Park, during which she told him she wanted to end their relationship. Park then left her house at around midnight to meet a friend, and returned at 3:40 a.m. only to find Cho hanging from the bathroom shower using his belt. Cho hinted at suicide in a text message he sent to his mother at around 12:11 a.m. and in the message he sent to his girlfriend five minutes later over the mobile messenger service KakaoTalk. In the message to his mother, he wrote, "It looks like there is no way for me to live in Korea anymore. I am very sorry, but please think that you never had a son." To Park, he left the words, "My heart breaks that we can't be together in the final moments of my life. Thank you for everything. Hang tough even after I am gone." No will was found at the scene.[18][19]

For his funeral wake, Cho's family set up a memorial altar at Korea University Anam Hospital.[20][21] His body was cremated on January 8, 2013 and the remains were buried at the Bundang Sky Castle Memorial Park.[22]

References

  1. ↑ Yoon, Ho-jin; Kwon, Sang-soo (7 January 2013). "Other half of former top celebrity couple ends life". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2013-01-08.
  2. ↑ Zang, Hwan-soo (19 December 2002). "Only Baseball Is My Love. I Will Rise Again". The Dong-a Ilbo. Retrieved 2013-05-25.
  3. ↑ Chang, Hye-soo (29 August 2005). "Fallen baseball stars take a second chance at glory". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2013-05-25.
  4. ↑ Yoo, Jee-ho (25 May 2007). "The Spin: Cho takes a long and winding road back to mound". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2013-05-25.
  5. ↑ Lee, Sun-young (6 January 2013). "Choi Jin-sil’s former husband found dead". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2013-01-08.
  6. 1 2 "Ex-husband of Suicide Actress Found Dead". The Chosun Ilbo. 7 January 2013. Retrieved 2013-01-08.
  7. 1 2 Yi, Whan-woo (6 January 2013). "Choi Jin-sil tragedy relived". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on 8 January 2013. Retrieved 2013-01-08.
  8. ↑ "Celebrities Wedding Becomes Big Business". The Chosun Ilbo. 3 December 2000. Retrieved 2013-01-08.
  9. ↑ "Star Marriage Descends into Assault, Tears". The Chosun Ilbo. 4 August 2004. Retrieved 2013-01-08.
  10. ↑ "Splitsville for Choi Jin-sil and Cho Sung-min". The Chosun Ilbo. 2 September 2004. Retrieved 2013-01-08.
  11. ↑ Kim, Rahn (29 October 2008). "Legal Battle Expected on Late Actress’ Fortune". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2013-01-08.
  12. ↑ "Actress' Ex-Husband Relinquishes Custody of Children". The Chosun Ilbo. 9 December 2008. Retrieved 2013-01-08.
  13. ↑ "Suicide's Impact Spreads Through Families". The Chosun Ilbo. 1 April 2010. Retrieved 2013-01-08.
  14. ↑ Bae, Ji-sook (4 October 2010). "Copycat suicides serious". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2013-01-08.
  15. ↑ "The Devastating Effect of a Suicide in the Family". The Chosun Ilbo. 7 January 2013. Retrieved 2013-01-08.
  16. ↑ "Celebrity Suicides Cause Chain Reaction". The Chosun Ilbo. 8 January 2013. Retrieved 2013-01-08.
  17. ↑ Lee, Hye-ji (7 January 2013). "Choi Jin-shil’s Ex-husband Jo Sung-min Commits Suicide". 10Asia. Retrieved 2013-01-09.
  18. ↑ "Ex-husband of late actress Choi Jin-sil found dead in apparent suicide". Yonhap. 6 January 2013. Retrieved 2013-01-08.
  19. ↑ "Korean sports star's suicide echoes death of actress-wife". Agence France-Presse via Yahoo!. 7 January 2013. Retrieved 2013-01-08.
  20. ↑ Lee, Jin-ho (7 January 2013). "Wake Held for Late Choi Jin Sil′s Former Husband Jo Sung Min". enewsWorld. CJ E&M. Retrieved 2013-01-08.
  21. ↑ Kwon, Mee-yoo (7 January 2013). "Celebrities mourn Cho's death". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2013-01-08.
  22. ↑ Ko, Hong-ju (7 January 2013). "Police Conclude Jo Sung Min Committed Suicide". enewsWorld. CJ E&M. Retrieved 2013-01-08.
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