The only daughter of the late South Korean actress Choi Jin-sil, whose surprise suicide in 2008 shocked the nation, said Saturday that she has been habitually abused by her maternal grandmother and that police are aware of the situation.
Choi Jun-hee, a 14-year-old, said in a social media post that her maternal grandmother verbally and physically abused her to prevent her from making contact with her great-aunt, who raised her after the actress' suicide about a decade ago.
(Choi Jun-hee`s Instagram)
The late actress Choi killed herself at the age of 39 in 2008 after struggling with depression for years. Choi's younger brother Choi Jin-young, who worked as an actor and singer, also committed suicide in 2010 after long suffering from depression caused by his sister's death.
In 2013, the late actress's husband and former top baseball player Cho Sung-min took his own life, leaving behind their daughter Jun-hee and son Hwan-hee in the care of relatives.
In her Facebook post, Jun-hee said, "My house is in ruins as of 1:55 a.m. Saturday. Police officers arrived, and I'm in a panic. ... I have one great-aunt who raised me after my mother's death. But my maternal grandmother doesn't like it and has forced me not to see my great-aunt."
"My grandmother cursed at me when I was depressed due to my longing for my great-aunt. My grandmother also looked at my mobile phone to block my contact with my great-aunt. She even hit me with a clothes hanger after learning that I began seeing a boyfriend," Jun-hee insisted.
The girl then confided that she had unsuccessfully attempted to kill herself in despair.
On Saturday morning, the girl and her grandmother engaged in physical violence, and her brother Hwan-hee called the police.
Police said they confirmed that there was a physical fight between the two but were told neither wanted to press charges.
With regards to the girl's claims of habitual abuse by her grandmother, however, police said they have a plan to open an investigation later. (Yonhap)
