Tributes pour in for iconic actor Choi Bool-am, gov't bestows highest cultural merit award
Choi Bool-am / Yonhap
Tributes are pouring in for veteran actor Choi Bool-am, who passed away on Thursday at the age of 87, with President Lee Jae Myung and figures within the industry honoring him as "a warm-hearted father figure" who defined Korean television for nearly seven decades.
On Friday, he was posthumously awarded the Geumgwan Order of Cultural Merit, the highest class of cultural honors from the Korean government, recognizing his pivotal contributions to the country's performing arts and public welfare.
"We deeply mourn the passing of Choi Bool-am, who stood by the public for generations as the father figure of our time," President Lee wrote on his social media.
"Whether playing a justice-seeking detective or a warm father, his image will remain in the hearts of the nation for a long time," Lee added, recalling Choi’s philosophy that "to become a good actor, one must first become a good human being."
Choi, whose real name was Choi Young-han, died at around 10:30 p.m., Thursday at a hospital in Gangseo District, Seoul, after his health recently deteriorated.
His memorial altar was set up at Asan Medical Center in Seoul on Friday morning. His funeral will be organized and hosted by ChorogUsan for Children foundation.
Born in Incheon in 1939, Choi debuted in 1959 with a theater production of "Hamlet" before joining the National Theater Company of Korea in 1965. During his 67 year career, Choi became one of the most recognizable faces in Korean television history.
He gained nationwide fame as Chief Inspector Park Young-han in MBC's cop drama "Chief Inspector" (1971–1989) and as the warm-hearted village patriarch in MBC's "Country Diary" (1980–2002), the country's longest-running television series.
Choi was a father figure off-screen as well. Since 1985, he served as the national support committee head for ChorogUsan for Children, advocating for vulnerable youth both domestically and abroad.
He also led Zero Camp, a non-profit organization helping youth at risk and former juvenile offenders through arts education.
Starting in 2011, he hosted KBS TV’s food documentary series "Korean Cuisine and Dining," spending 14 years traveling across the country to share ordinary people's stories through regional food until health issues forced him to step down last year.
Actor Choi Soo-jong, who took over as the host of "Korean Cuisine and Dining," paid a heartfelt tribute on social media.
"Beyond being an actor, he was a teacher who held the deepest respect for the honest sweat and daily lives of ordinary Koreans," Choi Soo-jong wrote. "It was a true privilege to laugh and cry under his massive shadow."
In addition to his prolific TV career, he starred in several films and won the Best Actor award at the Daejong Film Awards in 1979 for his performance in "Man-suk, Run!" Choi also served as a lawmaker from 1992 to 1996 as a proportional representative for the Unification National Party.
The funeral service is scheduled for 7 a.m. on Monday. His final resting place will be Donghwa Gyeongmo Park in Paju, Gyeonggi Province.