Shared His Battle With Illness on His Blog
Funeral Mass to Be Held on the 19th Without a Separate Funeral Parlor
Jung Sinwoo, a chef and former actor (birth name Jung Daeyeol, age 58), passed away in the early hours of January 18 after a 12-year battle with cancer.
Kang Jiyoung, a global food culture critic, shared on social media that day, "Chef Jung Sinwoo has gone to heaven," adding, "He endured his illness with the power of positivity, and now I pray that he can rest peacefully in a place free from pain and suffering."
Jung was diagnosed with thymic cancer in 2014 and fought the disease for more than ten years, but his condition reportedly worsened recently. Throughout his illness, he shared his journey and anti-cancer recipes on his blog under the nickname "Miracle Chef Jung." However, in his last post dated October 29, 2023, titled "Trauma That Won't Disappear," he wrote, "Even today, I realized while washing my hair at the salon that I still can't lie on my back. Ever since I developed trauma from being unable to breathe when lying down in the surgery waiting room," he confessed. He continued, "It's so hard to get an ECG or a CT scan. I sleep on my side or at an angle. I constantly suffer from insomnia. Everything is different from ordinary people. If even one thing goes wrong, my body collapses and hurts in sequence. There's no joy in living," he lamented.
Earlier, in January 2024, he wrote, "The cancer (tumor) that has lived in my body for nine years has at least slowed its spread. But because I never got used to dialysis, my life became paralyzed. With a hospital schedule that left me unable to do anything, I gradually lost my passion for life," adding, "From that point, I put down my knife and my studies. 'This must be the end of cooking for me...' For a month, I lost my voice and had to cancel all outings and appointments. The tumor caused paralysis of my vocal cords."
Jung made his debut in 1988 with the musical "Gospel" and appeared in dramas such as "Lawyer Park Bongsuk," "Applause," "Rose and Bean Sprouts," and "Sangdo." After transitioning to a career as a chef, he became known to the public through the EBS program "The Best Cooking Secrets."
In accordance with Jung's wishes, the bereaved family decided not to set up a separate funeral parlor. Kang stated, "There will be no separate funeral parlor; instead, a funeral mass will be held at 11 a.m. on January 19 in a space prepared at Gangnam St. Mary's Hospital funeral hall. For those who remember Chef Jung Sinwoo, please pray for him on his final journey."
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