The Voice That Defined a Generation: Voice Actor Kang Hee-sun Passes Away at 66

It is a voice familiar to anyone who has ever ridden the subway in Korea.

It is also the voice of Bong Mi-sun, the mother of Crayon Shin-chan, who scolded and embraced her son for 26 years.

Voice actor Kang Hee-sun, the woman behind those iconic roles, passed away early this morning. She was 66.

The late actor, who had been battling an illness, died at approximately 2:10 a.m. today at Inje University Sanggye Paik Hospital.

Born in Seoul, she initially dreamed of becoming an actor but chose the path of a voice actor upon the recommendation of her professor.

In 1979, while in her second year at Seoul Institute of the Arts and at the age of 18, she debuted as part of the 10th class of TBC voice actors. The following year, after the consolidation of broadcasting stations, she became part of the 15th class of KBS voice actors.

Her first dubbing role was in Anne of Green Gables. During the golden age of foreign films, when programs like Weekend Masterpiece and Saturday Masterpiece dominated television, she was the go-to voice for top actors of the era, including Sharon Stone, Julia Roberts, and Uma Thurman.

Starting in 1996, she also became the voice behind the subway announcements in Seoul and Busan. For nearly 30 years, her voice became a constant companion for citizens on their daily commutes.

"This station is Dangsan, Dangsan Station."

To the younger generation, she was undoubtedly the mother of Crayon Shin-chan. She voiced Bong Mi-sun for 26 years starting in 1999 and also played the character Bo-chan (Maeng-gu).

It became a topic of surprise when it was revealed that the shrill, energetic Crayon Shin-chan’s mother and the slow-talking Bo-chan were voiced by the same person.

In 2018, when KORAIL abandoned its 44-year tradition of using human voices for announcements in favor of Text-to-Speech (TTS) synthesis, Kang's voice could only be heard on certain trains, such as those operated by Seoul Metro.

In a 2019 interview with SBS Video Mug, after listening to the synthesized machine voice, she expressed her regret, noting that it lacked human emotion.

Recognized for her contributions, she received the Prime Minister's Commendation at the 2018 Korean Popular Culture and Arts Awards. She was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2021.

Although the cancer spread to her liver and she was given a two-year prognosis, she endured 47 rounds of chemotherapy while continuing to stand before the microphone.

Even on days when she lost her voice, she continued recording for Crayon Shin-chan movies, and she even recorded subway announcements from her hospital room.

Citizens even noticed the change, remarking that the tone of the announcements had become lower.

In 2024, she appeared on a broadcast and said, "I consider acting to be my life." When asked if she would choose to be a voice actor in her next life, she replied that she would be happy to die doing it.

Her mortuary is located at the Seoul St. Mary's Hospital Funeral Home, and the funeral procession will take place at 7:40 a.m. on July 6.

[The late Kang Hee-sun: I hope that while listening to the announcements, while listening to my voice, people can feel a sense of hope that their day will go well, and I hope it makes them feel happier and more cheerful.]

Reported by Yeo Hyeon-gyo | Video by Na Hong-hee | Graphics by Lee Jung-ju | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.