Veteran actor Choi Jung Woo sadly passed away early Tuesday morning, May 27, 2025, according to his agency Bless ENT. The 68-year-old Korean star was best known for taking on supporting roles in notable K-dramas, including the most recent, The Tale of Lady Ok and Disney Plus’ The Tyrant. His cause of death has yet to be revealed.
As per K-media reports, a funeral altar has been set up at Gimpo Woori Hospital Funeral Home in his honour. With Choi departing for the heavenly abode, his loved ones are set to bid him farewell at a funeral slated for 10 am on Thursday, May 29, 2025.
Who was Choi Jung Woo?
Actor Choi Jung Woo’s MyDramaList (MDL) profile lifts the lid on his final performances in the K-drama world. For his last drama appearance, the veteran K-star came on board the 2025 Watcha title, Secret Relationships, in a guest role, playing Cha Jung Woo’s onscreen father.
Before that, he guest starred in KBS2’s Who Is She. The comedy mystery series was led by fellow veteran star Kim Hae Sook. Choi’s most prominent yesteryear role was delivered in the hit JTBC period drama The Tale of Lady Ok, starring Lim Ji Yeon and Choo Young Woo in titular roles. That same year, he came out for a guest appearance in Disney Plus’ Kim Seon Ho, Cha Seung Won-led The Tyrant, returning to the same dark fictional universe that began with the 2018 cult film The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion (Choi Woo Shik).
Choi Jung Woo dramas and films
Over the years, he also appeared in shows like Call It Love (Lee Sung Kyung, Kim Young Kwang), Curtain Call (Kang Ha Neul, Ha Ji Won), The Empire, Juvenile Justice (Kim Hye Soo), Sisyphus: The Myth (Park Shin Hye), Alice (Kim Hee Sun), Judge vs Judge (Park Eun Bin), Dr Frost, Doctor Stranger (Lee Jong Suk), City Hunter (Lee Min Ho, Park Min Young, Lee Joon Hyuk), The Legend of the Blue Sea (Lee Min Ho, Ju Ji Hyun) and more.
As for his contributions to the Korean film industry, his acting credits also include the cinematic releases still fresh in memory: The Moon (Doh Kyung Soo / EXO’s DO), The Childe (Kim Seon Ho).
He made his acting debut in 1975 with the play “The Life of an Actor,” before switching course to films and dramas, wherein he played various professional roles, such as police officer, prosecutor, conglomerate chairperson, National Intelligence Service executive and more.
In his personal life, he got married thrice, and is also believed to have developed diabetes amid marital struggles. Choi Jung Woo reportedly shared an age gap of over 10 years with his third partner.