South Korean actress Park So Dam, best known for her role in the Oscar-winning film "Parasite," has been diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer.
The 30-year-old star's agency, ArtistCompany, said in a statement to CNN Monday that Park received the diagnosis during a regular health checkup. She has since undergone surgery.
According to The Clayman Thyroid Center, papillary thyroid cancer "typically starts within the thyroid as growth, or bump (nodule) on the thyroid that grows out of the otherwise normal thyroid tissue." It is the most common of all thyroid cancers and typically affects people between ages 30 and 50. The overall cure rate is "very high."
Park's diagnosis has impacted plans for the promotion of her next movie, "Special Delivery," according to the ArtistCompany's statement.
"The company would like to once again thank all the people for showing support for 'Special Delivery' and actress Park So Dam, as well as the actors and crew of 'Special Delivery' overcoming this difficult time together," the agency said.
"Actor Park So Dam will focus on her recovery so that she can see you all healthy in the future, and ArtistCompany will also do our best to help the actor recover her health," it added.
Park has appeared in several films including "The Silenced" (2015), which earned her a win for Best Supporting Actress from the Busan Film Critics Awards, as well as "The Priests "(2015), which nabbed her Best New Actress honors at the Busan Film Critics Awards, the Korea Film Reporters Association Awards and the Baeksang Arts Awards, according to IMDB.
Park stepped onto the international stage after being cast in "Parasite," which went on to become the first non-English-language film and the first South Korean film to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards in February 2020. She also appeared in the TV series "Record of Youth" in 2020.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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