[30] While living in Sweden during filming, Choi experienced the country's gender-equal family culture and took the opportunity to grow as an actress by acting in Swedish and trying out a role she hadn't done before.

"In order to save Korean cinema, not only producers and directors but also actors need to step up to the plate," Choi said at the time, adding, "I want to show a new image in good films regardless of appearance fees.

[45][46] She was later reunited with Lee Byung-hun in the 1995 romantic comedy film Who Drives Me Crazy and the SBS action drama Asphalt Man, which was one of the major productions of its time.

[47] Exhausted from a series of strong performances since her debut, Choi took time to recharge her energy by reading books and chose a film that was less demanding than television.

Even though there were sloppy plot developments, Choi's one-two punch portrayal of orphan Lee Yeon-hee and fashion photographer Sophia was praised; with her eyes, tone of voice, body language, and gestures making the characters feel like completely different people.

Choi, who immediately warmed to the suspense element of Ghost Mamma, said of The Letter which embraced the classic melodrama formula, "I'm not really confident in acting crying and weeping, but I responded when I received the script because the story is compelling..." It was an emotionally demanding project, and when the film was finished and she was exhausted, she was offered a role in MBC's You and I, as career woman Yoon Soo-kyung.

[57] In 1998, Choi published an autobiography Yes, Let's Live Truthfully Today Too, looking back at the change from an ordinary high school graduate to a famous actress.

The pain and suffering of her character blurred the line between reality and fiction, and her performance aroused empathy from TV audiences; with My Rosy Life, she received the best reviews of her career from viewers and critics alike.

[74] Rival network MBC initially wouldn't allow Choi to star in KBS's My Rosy Life, claiming she was still under contract with them to act in 300 drama episodes, of which she had completed 250.

Samsung Electronics used the 1988 Seoul Olympics to boost the popularity of color TVs, and Choi helped the company beat out its competitors to the top spot in home appliance sales, appearing in commercials for most of their products.

[87][88][89] Choi believed that commercials, even as 30-second videos, have an aesthetic that captures the spirit of the times, and that they are an integration of artistic activities; from basic visual arts, marketing techniques and image-making that borrowed from psychology, to the brilliant slogans and dialogue.

Her success as an advertising model was apparent in her endorsements for South Korean giants Samsung, LG, Lotte, KIA Motors, Hyundai, Korea Telecom, and various clothing and cosmetics brands, among others.

[101][102] In April 1993, MBC conducted a poll among students to determine 'Korea's Top 100 Stars', including all public figures such as politicians, actors, singers, comedians, athletes, etc.

[111][112][113][114] In late 1994, MBC's The New Human Era surveyed stars in various fields for a New Year's special titled '50 Leading Koreans', and Choi was ranked first in the actress category.

[123] In December 1999, MBC produced a documentary that looked at modern Korean history in the 20th century, featuring 60 people, including Choi in the "Heroes and Idols" category.

The program featured 20 people in each of three categories: "Leaders and Revolutionaries", "Women", and "Heroes and Idols"; and showcased these individuals who have had a significant impact on history or society in general, or who have worked to break new ground.

[125] In October 2003, Nielsen Media Research conducted a survey on the most popular South Korean leading actors based on the top 50 television dramas with the highest viewership ratings of all time.

Choi was recorded as the most prolific actor with lead roles in six TV dramas, including Promise (1992), Jealousy (1992), Season of Storms (1993), You and I (1997), Star in My Heart (1997), and Roses and Bean Sprouts (1999).

For 'Best Actress of the 1990s', Choi took the top spot by a wide margin with 34% of respondents, followed by Kim Hee-sun, Shim Eun-ha, Shin Ae-ra, Lee Seung-yeon, and Jeon Do-yeon.

[136][137] Choi went through many hardships, including poverty, fires, traffic accidents, kidnappings, assaults, robberies, stalking, and the spread of false information that persisted for 20 years.

Subsequently, an advertiser, Shinhan Engineering and Construction, claimed she had not kept her contractual obligation to "maintain dignity" as she had disclosed to the public her bruised and swollen face which was caused by the violence of her then husband.

In handing down its ruling, the Supreme Court censured Choi for coming forward and declaring herself a victim of domestic violence, saying it constituted a failure to maintain proper "social and moral honor".

"When a person is suffering, he or she needs to restore their dignity and social honour by disclosing the damage and seeking proper legal help as Choi did", a director of Korean Womenlink said.

She was survived by her two children, her mother and younger brother Choi Jin-young, who died by suicide a year and a half later, reportedly due to being severely affected by her demise.

Most Web sites here have bulletin boards where users can post uncensored, anonymous comments, and nearly all young people run their own blogs, updating via cellphone.

Such sites were a major avenue for rumors about the possible dangers of dropping a ban on American beef that fed enormous street protests and political upheaval earlier this year.

Major Web portals have in recent years doubled the number of monitors to screen out online character assassination and respond more quickly to complaints of malicious rumors.

But it's also clear that public life as a single, working, divorced mom—still a pariah status in South Korea—was one role she had a lot of trouble with", Time commented on her death on October 6, 2008.

At the request of fans, the area was expanded to almost thrice its original size which could accommodate 16 charnel houses, and amenities for visitors were erected, such as benches and a teepee with a drinking water fountain and a guest book.

[201] During her lifetime, she had visited the park several times with Choi Jin-young and was very fond of the place, so her brother decided to reinter her ashes in the same location despite the unfortunate incident.