Voice actress Kang Hee-sun, known as 'Crayon Shin-chan' mom, dies at 65

Kang Hee-sun, the voice actress behind Bong Mi-sun — the mother in the animated series "Crayon Shin-chan" — has died at 65.

According to her family, Kang died early Saturday at around 2:10 a.m. at Inje University Sanggye Paik Hospital in Seoul from a chronic illness.

Kang began her career as a voice actress in 1979 while studying at Seoul Institute of the Arts, joining TBC's voice acting troupe as a 10th-cohort member. Following a broadcast consolidation the next year, she became a 15th-cohort member of KBS's voice acting troupe. She later served as head of the KBS Voice Actors' Guild from 2013 to 2016 and as senior vice president of the Korea Voice Actors' Association.

She got her start dubbing "Anne of Green Gables" and went on to lend her voice to "The Rose of Versailles," "Ghost in the Shell" and "Captain Planet." She voiced Bong Mi-sun from the very first broadcast of the TV anime "Crayon Shin-chan" on SBS in 1999.

Lines such as "Shin-chan, you know you're a wonderful son, right?", "What parent could stand by while their child is in danger? No parent could. To a parent, their child is more precious than their own life!" and "You're still young, so you don't quite understand a mother's heart… but all mothers are like that — that's what being a mother means. A mother will never hate you!" have stayed with adult fans long after childhood.

During the heyday of popular weekend film programs in the 1980s and 1990s, she dubbed the voices of Hollywood actresses including Sharon Stone, Michelle Pfeiffer, Julia Roberts and Nicole Kidman.

From 1996, she also recorded subway announcement audio for Seoul and Busan — covering lines 1 through 8 in Seoul and lines 1 through 4 in Busan. Her voice also appeared in subway advertisements in Daegu.

Her contributions earned her the KBS Voice Acting Award for best foreign-language performance in 2002 and the KBS Voice Acting Award for best performance in 2005, followed by a prime minister's commendation at the Popular Culture and Arts Awards in 2018.

In 2021, she was diagnosed with colorectal cancer that had spread to her liver and was given a two-year prognosis. She later spoke openly about her condition on the tvN variety program "You Quiz on the Block," drawing wide support from viewers.

Even while undergoing 47 rounds of chemotherapy, Kang recorded a theatrical "Crayon Shin-chan" film for more than 14 hours. "I truly love my work as a voice actress," she said, expressing her determination to recover.

Her son Ahn Eun-seok, head of independent film investment and production company Bon Film and an advisory member of the Overseas Koreans' Consultative Council, said she "always had conviction in her work as a voice actress and truly loved it."

A memorial altar has been set up at Room 31 of the Seoul St. Mary's Hospital funeral hall. The funeral procession will depart Monday at 7:40 a.m., with burial at Yongin Park Honorstone.