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Veteran Voice Actor Hee-sun Kang Steps Down From Crayon Shin-chan Role After 26 Years
posted on by Wonhee Cho
Hee-sun Kang, the veteran voice actor who has voiced Shin-chan's mother, Misae Nohara, in the Korean dub of Crayon Shin-chan for 26 years, is stepping down from the role due to health reasons.
According to Korean animation channel Tooniverse, So-yeon Ahn will take over as the voice of Misae. Although the network cited “personal reasons” for the change, industry sources confirmed it was related to Kang's health.
Kang was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2021, which later metastasized to her liver. She has undergone dozens of rounds of chemotherapy while continuing her voice acting work. She spoke about her battle with cancer in a 2023 appearance on the variety show You Quiz on the Block, sharing how she continued recording even during treatment and surgery.
Debuting as a voice actor in 1979, Kang's credits include the Korean voices for Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovich, Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct, and the widely recognized voice for Seoul's subway announcements. She received the KBS Voice Acting Award in 2005 and the Prime Minister's Commendation at the 2018 Korea Popular Culture and Arts Awards.
Source: YNA (Kyung-yoon Kim)
