SEOUL (KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - South Korean actress Kim Young Ae died from pancreatic cancer on Sunday (April 9), months after starring in the KBS weekend drama The Gentlemen Of Wolgyesu Tailor Shop, her agency said. She was 65.

In the show, which ended its 54-episode run in February, she played the wife of a tailor who unexpectedly leaves his family for a while. She appeared in the 50 episodes that were originally planned, filming even after she had to be hospitalised in the last four months.

In an interview with Yonhap News Agency, she said that in the face of terminal illness, her mind became clear only when she was filming. "Someone told me to give up everything and go live in the countryside where the air is great. But not me. What would I live for without acting?"

But after the drama was extended due to its popularity, she opted out of the final four episodes and viewers were concerned for her health.

She had undergone pancreatic cancer surgery in 2012 and returned to the big screen in the 2013 courtroom drama The Attorney. "She was again diagnosed with cancer, not long after she stated filming The Gentlemen Of Wolgyesu Tailor Shop," her agency said.

She began her television career in 1971, in MBC's 880-episode Inspector Chief. She also acted in dramas including SBS' 1995 sensation, Sandglass, and MBC's 2012 hit, Moon Embracing The Sun.