Kim Soo-mi
Overview
Kim Soo-mi (September 3, 1949 – October 25, 2024) was a South Korean actress and broadcaster. She debuted as an MBC open-recruitment talent and was active in the film industry in the 1970s. From 1980 to 2002, she played Il-yong's mother in the MBC rural drama Country Diary (전원일기), becoming a national face for 22 years. With comic acting, a refreshingly candid way of speaking, and cooking skills, she was active broadly in variety shows, advertising, and writing, earning the nickname 'national mother.'
Main Content
Birth and Debut
Born in 1949 in Gunsan, Jeollabuk-do. In 1970, she entered the broadcasting industry as a third-generation MBC open-recruitment talent and began her acting career. In the same period, she appeared in many films, building an active filmography in the Korean film industry in the 1970s. In her youth, she worked as a supporting and lead actress with an innocent image, but later switched to comic acting and carved out her own domain.
Country Diary and National Recognition
MBC's Country Diary, which began airing in 1980, was a long-running drama that continued for 22 years until 2002. Kim Soo-mi played the role of Il-yong's mother, completing the character of a tenacious and affectionate rural woman. This role became her representative image most long remembered by the South Korean public, and viewers continued to remember her as Il-yong's mother.
Second Heyday in Film and Variety
Entering the 2000s, she appeared in films such as Mapado (마파도) and the Marrying the Mafia (가문의 영광) series, again showing the true value of her comic acting, and was evaluated as an actress who seized the mood of the screen with strong charisma and cheeky ad-libs. Afterwards, she appeared in many variety programs such as Soo-mi's Side Dishes (수미네 반찬), Delicious Guys (맛있는 녀석들), Omniscient Interfering View (전지적 참견 시점), and The Chairman's People (회장님네 사람들), gaining great popularity not only among middle-aged and older viewers but also among viewers in their 20s and 30s with her cooking skills and frank talk. In particular, Soo-mi's Side Dishes established itself as a representative cooking variety show bearing her name, and after broadcasting, related recipes and regional foods were re-examined.
Writing and Other Activities
She published several books containing cooking and life stories, and worked in various fields such as advertising model, brand collaborations, and lectures. With her unique direct way of speaking and her attitude of taking care of juniors, she was regarded as a senior with great influence in the broadcasting industry.
Death
She died on October 25, 2024, at the age of 75. The cause of death was reported to be cardiac arrest due to hyperglycemic shock, and it is said that she had controlled her activities due to health problems such as diabetes during her lifetime. Many colleagues and juniors from the broadcasting and film industries visited the funeral hall, and the funeral was held under the supervision of the bereaved family and broadcasting stations.
Latest Trends
After her death in the second half of 2024, a flow of remembrance and re-examination continued in the broadcasting industry. Terrestrial and comprehensive programming channels and YouTube channels re-aired her representative works or produced and aired tribute specials and memorial videos, and major appearances such as Country Diary and Soo-mi's Side Dishes were re-discussed, increasing demand for rewatching old works. In 2025, broadcast figures and junior actors mentioned her influence in interviews and variety shows, and voices grew evaluating her as a figure who changed the status of middle-aged female actors in Korean variety and drama. In addition, her recipes and quotes from her lifetime are being redistributed online, and projects named after her are being discussed in local festivals and food content, continuing her influence as a pop culture icon even after death. It is known that her bereaved family and agency are carefully reviewing whether to release her posthumous works and unreleased videos.
Evaluation and Legacy
Kim Soo-mi is considered a representative female actor who simultaneously embodied mother, rural woman, and businesswoman-type characters in Korean popular culture. Her career, moving between broadcasting and film for over 40 years, is evaluated as a case that expanded the scope of activity for middle-aged female actors into variety and cooking content, and the characters and quotes she left behind are becoming reference points for later generations of entertainers.
Related Topics
- [[전원일기]]
- [[수미네 반찬]]
- [[가문의 영광]]
- [[대한민국의 배우]]
- [[맛있는 녀석들]]