South Korean Actress Choi Jin-sil Found Dead In Her Home In Apparent Suicide

October 2, 2008 12:55 p.m. EST

Seoul, South Korea (CNS) - A South Korean actress was found dead in her home on Thursday. "The Nation's Actress" Choi Jin-sil has died in an apparent suicide after suffering from post-divorce depression.

Choi, 39, is believed to have hanged herself in her bathroom, investigators said. Her family said she had been suffering from depression since her divorce in 2004 with baseball star Cho Sung-min.

According to Yang Jae-ho, chief investigator at Seoul's Seocho Police Station, "It's obviously suicide."

He cited a doctor's examination of her body and her family and friends' testimonies. And investigation is being prepared, while an autopsy is planned later in the day.

Although no suicide note has been found, Choi had sent her makeup assistant SMS messages twice the day before her death, asking her to "take care of [my] children no matter what happens" and telling her "I'm sorry."

Choi was also distraught over rumors linking her to the suicide of another actor last month. The reports said that she forced Ahn Jae-hwan to pay back a huge loan, which led him to take his own life.

Her mother told officers that Choi went home drunk around midnight on Wednesday. She was also crying and denying the rumors about the other actor's suicide before she went to the bathroom.

The actress was also said to have been taking a sedative following her divorce to ease her worries about raising her two children with Cho.

Choi had made her debut in the industry in the late 80s, quickly becoming one of the country's best-loved actresses. She had in numerous of hit films, and was preparing for the second season TV drama series "The Last Scandal of My Life."