Korean Grandma Kang Gye-yeol Dies at 101

Kang Gye-yeol, who appeared in the film "My Love, Don't Cross the River," has passed away at the age of 101. According to her family, Grandma Kang passed away at Wonju Medical Center in Gangwon Province around 6 PM on the 10th. Director Jin Mo-young, who directed the film, expressed his condolences on Facebook, saying, "She was like a girl when I first met her in 2012, and that girl crossed the river at the age of 100," and added, "She has gone to be with her beloved Grandpa Jo Byeong-man."

Grandma Kang Gye-yeol was born in Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province, in 1925 and grew up in Hoengseong. In 1938, at the age of 14, she married Jo Byeong-man, who was six years her senior. The story of this couple became known through the Hoengseong Newspaper in 2010, followed by SBS's "Special Mate" and KBS 1TV's "Human Theater - White-Haired Lovers."

After her husband, Jo Byeong-man, passed away in December 2013, the film "My Love, Don't Cross the River," which depicted their lives, was released in November 2014. The movie, which portrayed the couple's daily life and Mr. Jo's death, drew 4.8 million viewers, setting a record for the highest-grossing independent film. Singer Yang Ji-eun was inspired by this film and composed the song "Don't Cross That River."

Grandma Kang Gye-yeol appeared on the YouTube channel "Guenhwang Olympic" in 2019 and revealed, "I have 3 daughters and 3 sons (one deceased), and 33 grandchildren, with one more on the way." She also expressed her deep longing for her husband, saying, "​When I think of Grandpa at night while sleeping, I cry until my blankets and pillows are soaked." In a past interview, she recalled that her husband never spoke to her informally and would say things like, "You ate well, thank you."

Her surviving family includes 2 sons, 3 daughters, daughters-in-law, and sons-in-law. The funeral hall is set up in Room 4 of the Wonju Medical Center Funeral Home, and the funeral procession will be on the 12th at 7:45 AM. She will be laid to rest in her family's ancestral grave in Cheongil-myeon, Hoengseong-gun, beside her husband, Grandpa Jo Byeong-man.