Kim Young-hee, who won a silver medal in women's basketball at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, passed away on January 31 at the age of 60.
A graduate of Soongui Girls' High School, Kim Young-hee was a 200 cm tall center who represented the national team at the 1982 New Delhi Asian Games and the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, earning an Olympic silver medal as well as the Sports Merit Medal Baekmajang and Maenghojang awards.
Former women's basketball national team player Kim Young-hee. [Photo by YouTube channel 'Geunhwang Olympic' capture]
During her professional basketball career, the 'cosmetics industry rivalry' between Kim Young-hee's Korea Cosmetics and Park Chan-sook's Taepyeongyang Chemical drew as much fan interest as the men's basketball rivalry between Samsung Electronics and Hyundai.
After competing until the 1986 Asian Games, she was diagnosed with acromegaly (gigantism) around November the following year. Her health deteriorated thereafter, and she battled complications including brain tumors, hypoglycemia, thyroid disease, and intestinal obstruction for a long time.
Before the women's professional basketball game between Cheongju KB and Bucheon Hana OneQ held on the 1st in Cheongju, Chungbuk, a moment of silence was held in her memory.
The funeral procession is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. on the 4th at the Daniel Funeral Hall in Bucheon, and no separate mourning hall was set up.
News of her illness became widely known starting in November 2021 when she was featured in a video on the YouTube channel 'Geunhwang Olympic.'
In the video, she expressed gratitude, saying, "During my treatment, hospital bills were high, but junior basketball players Heo Jae and Seo Jang-hoon sent money to encourage me." It was said that she was living on an Olympic pension of 700,000 won.
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