Parasite star Park So-dam, 30, reveals cancer battle

South Korean actress Park So-dam has revealed she’s battling cancer, forcing her to pull out of the publicity tour for her new film.

South Korean actress Park So-dam, 30, has been diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer.

The Parasite star rose to global fame for her breakout role in the Oscar-winning thriller by director Bong Joon-ho.

Park learned of her diagnosis following a recent physical with her doctor and later underwent surgery to remove the cancerous mass, her ArtistCompany representatives said in a statement to CNN.

Papillary thyroid cancer is the most common type of thyroid cancer. It usually appears in people aged between 35 and 40 and is three times more common in women.

Park So-dam, left, with Parasite co-stars accept Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture during the Screen Actors Guild Awards last year. Picture: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

Those with Asian roots are also at a higher risk of developing the disease, according to the US National Cancer Institute.

“Well-differentiated tumours [associated with papillary thyroid cancer] can be treated and can usually be cured,” the organisation said.

Park is “very disappointed” to sit out the promotional tour of her next starring role in the South Korean crime drama Special Delivery, premiering in January 2022, according to the ArtistCompany’s statement.

“The company would like to once again thank all the people for showing support for Special Delivery and actress Park So Dam, as well as the actors and crew of Special Delivery overcoming this difficult time together,” the agency said.

Song Kang-ho, Jang Hye-jin and Park So-dam in a scene from Parasite. Picture: Neon via AP

“Actor Park So-dam will focus on her recovery so that she can see you all healthy in the future, and ArtistCompany will also do our best to help the actor recover her health,” they said.

Park’s career in South Korean film extends back years, but global notoriety came with Parasite, in which she played Kim Ki Jung, a young con-artist who is hired by a wealthy family when she poses as an elite art therapist, in a scheme to help her family during financial hardship.

The film went on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2020 – the first given to a non-English-language film and the first for a South Korean film.

This article originally appeared in the NY Post and was reproduced with permission