Voice actor Kang Hee-sun (tvN) The familiar voice that has guided Seoul subway riders for nearly three decades is expected to remain on the network for now, despite rumors online that it would be replaced following the death of voice actor Kang Hee-sun.Kang, whose voice has guided passengers on Seoul Subway Lines 1 to 8 since 1996, died in Seoul on Saturday. She was 65.Following her death, unverified claims circulated online that Seoul Metro had an internal rule requiring announcement voices to be replaced when the voice actor dies. The operator dismissed the claims.“There has been no discussion about changing the announcement voice,” a Seoul Metro official said, adding that Kang’s recordings will continue to be used for the time being.For many Seoul residents and visitors, Kang’s voice has become inseparable from the experience of riding the city’s subway. Kang also recorded announcements for the Busan subway.She was also widely known in Korea for voicing Misae Nohara, Shin Chan’s mother, in the Korean-dubbed version of the Japanese animated series “Crayon Shin-chan.” She also voiced characters in “Anne of Green Gables” and “The Rose of Versailles.”“Because she voiced Shin Chan’s mother, her voice became engraved in many people’s memories as the voice of a mother,” one user wrote on X while mourning Kang.“As we grew into adults, it became a voice we could relate to in a different way. Sometimes, hearing it during my morning commute would remind me of the character from the animation.”Late last year, after Kang’s cancer treatment left her unable to record new announcements, some stations, including Seongsu, Euljiro 4-ga, Sinsa and Dongnimmun, started using announcements voiced by actor Jeong Mi-sook, whose voice is considered similar. Existing recordings by Kang, however, have continued to be used across most of the network.Some citizens have expressed hope that Seoul Metro will continue using Kang’s recordings for years, drawing comparisons with the London Underground, where some announcements recorded by the late Phil Sayer, including his well-known “Mind the Gap” warning, have remained familiar to passengers years after his death in 2016.