“They say it’s just a cold”... Kim Hye-ja, dressed in an elegant hanbok, coughs repeatedly—why it can be dangerous at her age [Health Issue]

[Financial News] The veteran actress Kim Hye-ja, who turns 85 this year, was seen coughing repeatedly and receiving support on the red carpet at the Busan International Film Festival, prompting concern among fans.

The opening ceremony of the 31st Busan International Film Festival was held on the 6th at the Busan Cinema Center in Haeundae-gu, Busan. Actress Kim Hye-ja, 85, attended the festival with Yeojeonhi Chanranhage, her first screen project in nine years, and her appearance immediately drew the attention of audiences and reporters.
She wore a beautifully tailored hanbok with a subtly pink skirt and red ties, and flowers adorned her neatly styled updo. She exuded her characteristic poise and elegance. She greeted the cameras with a bright expression, smiling warmly and waving, but images captured soon afterward saddened people at the event and online.
Kim Hye-ja carefully made her way forward, step by step, holding onto the arms of people around her for support, including director Song Il-gon, who also walked the red carpet. The live broadcast cameras in particular captured her repeatedly coughing with her hand over her mouth.
People associated with her dismissed speculation about health problems, saying, “It’s just a slight cold,” but many are concerned by the veteran actress’s repeated, labored coughing. She was born in 1941 and turns 85 this year.

Experts agree that in older adults, even seemingly mild symptoms such as a ‘slight cold’ or a ‘cough’—like those Kim Hye-ja has—should never be taken lightly. As people age, the function of the cilia inside the bronchi declines significantly and lung capacity decreases, sharply reducing the body’s ability to expel invading viruses and harmful substances.
Respiratory illnesses in very elderly patients aged 80 and older can easily worsen into ‘silent pneumonia.’ When younger people develop lung inflammation, their temperature can soar and they may experience severe chills. Older adults, however, may show atypical symptoms, with no fever at all or only a low-grade fever, because their immune systems respond more slowly. Instead, as Kim Hye-ja appeared to do on the red carpet, they may first develop frequent coughing or become so weak, with a loss of balance, that they need support.
Coughing itself can also have a considerable physical impact on older people. In older adults with weakened bones and muscles, the pressure on the rib cage when coughing can cause tiny fractures in the ribs. A sharp rise in abdominal pressure during coughing can also temporarily alter blood flow to the brain, leading to dizziness, unsteady walking or falls.
Medical professionals urged, “If an older adult who attends an outdoor event during a change of seasons or is exposed to an environment with large day-to-night temperature swings coughs repeatedly and becomes so weak that walking is affected, treatment should not stop at a prescription for ordinary cold medicine. They should have a chest X-ray early on to check for lower respiratory tract infections such as pneumonia or acute bronchitis, and get vaccinated against influenza and pneumococcal disease to prevent complications proactively.”
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