Seo Se-won, comedian and broadcaster, 68, dies

Comedian and broadcaster Seo Se-won [JOONGANG PHOTO]

Comedian and broadcaster Seo Se-won, 68, died from shock at a Cambodian hospital while receiving treatment, Korean media reported Thursday.

Seo debuted as a broadcaster on TBC radio in 1979, before becoming one of the most popular comedians and talk show hosts in Korea until the late 1990s.

Seo had been accused of bribing television producers, being involved in the manipulation of stock prices and assaulting his then-wife Suh Jeong-hee, a former television personality. The assault case was handed over to the prosecution in May 2014. The Seoul Family Court sentenced Seo to six years in prison in May 2015. Seo Se-won and Suh Jeong-hee divorced in August the same year.

Seo’s family, including the children from his marriage to Suh, reportedly severed all ties with the comedian. He is survived by three children.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]