Joo Sil died Sunday at St. Mary’s Hospital in Uijeongbu, South Korea, from complications that followed a recent stomach cancer diagnosis, her talent agency, 1230Culture, confirmed. Born on March 8, 1944, in Bucheon, South Korea, Joo Sil was also known for roles that included the movie Train to Busan and The Uncanny Counter, a Korean TV drama that ran for two seasons from 2020.

Her career got started in Korean live theater in 1965, and her stage roles included local productions of Death of a Salesman and Macbeth. Her other major roles included the K drama Someday, where she appeared in 16 episodes in 2006, playing Choi Sim-deok in Loving You a Thousand Times over 55 episodes and appearing as a North Korean spy in the 2013 movie thriller Commitment.

Among her last roles was in Netflix’s Squid Game series, where Joo Sil played the mother of undercover detective Hwang Joon-Ho (Wi Ha Joon) and the stepmother of Hwang In Ho (Lee Byang Hun).

Korean media accounts point to Joo Sil in 1993 first being diagnosed with terminal breast cancer, but she managed to elude expectations and live for just over another three decades. But in November 2024, Joo Sil faced a recurrence of cancer, which led to her short battle and death just short of her 81st birthday over the weekend.

She will be buried in Seoul on Feb. 5, according to Korean media reports.