By Cho Jae-hyon
Staff Reporter
Bae Sam-ryong, the legendary clown who made people laugh with his trademark ``fool'' image during the authoritarian eras of the 1960-1970s, died of chronic recurrent pneumonia, Tuesday, his family said. He was 84.
The pioneering comedian and actor had been hospitalized at Asan Medical Center in southern Seoul since June 2007 when he was first struck with the ailment. His condition recently worsened to the point where he couldn't recognize those close to him.
Nicknamed ``Bisiri'' (the weak), Bae was loved by the people for his classic slapstick comedy and characterization of a fool with funny facial expressions and humorous gestures, including ``gaedari chum,'' his trademark dance mimicking the movement of dog legs.
With his acting philosophy: ``Laughter to others, grief to me,'' Bae devoted his life to making people happy.
Fans were the most important thing for the godfather of Korean comedy, his son Dong-jin said.
``My father always wanted to see his fans. To say that he lived for his fans is never an exaggeration,'' his son told reporters at the hospital. ``Even lying on the bed, he was practicing as he so aspired to stand in front of his fans. He said he would like to collapse on the stage if he could.''
He said his father once told him that his family had to sacrifice because he had to be loved by his fans.
``Before he was a father to us, he was the person who always took to the stage. I suffered some adolescent angst because of that. But now I'm proud of my father who loved his fans more than being a father,'' he said.
He said Bae's last words ― which he uttered two months ago when he was conscious ― were ``Don't worry, I will take to the stage again.''
Born in Yanggu, Gangwon Province in 1926, Bae went to Japan after finishing elementary school here and graduated from a high school in Ueno, Japan. He came back to Korea after it was liberated from the Japanese colonial rule.
He worked for music and comedy troupes pitching tents and touring across the nation for about 15 years, the period during which he built the foundation to become one of the nation's most loved comedians. Afterwards Bae built his unique character as a comedian while emceeing at numerous comedy shows at theaters.
Making his debut as a comedian on MBC TV in 1968, he rose to stardom and became one of the top comedians along with his life-time friend and fellow comedian Koo Bong-seo, 84.
Bae was so popular that other TV stations competed to get him to appear on their shows, with one TV station even attempting to kidnap him.
``As I'm getting on a bus after finishing a TV show, about 30 employees of a TV station abruptly surrounded me and tried to kidnap me,'' Bae once said during an interview.
However, his real life was far from glorious. His career began to slide from 1979 when then military junta led by Chun Doo-hwan prevented him from appearing on TV, saying his comedy was damaging to ``social morals and good manners.''
Bae later said that the junta's ban was because he openly backed Kim Jong-pil, one of three major political heavyweights at that time.
Following the ban, Bae went to the United States and lived there for three years.
He returned home in 1993 but he never regained his earlier popularity. He ventured into a series of businesses only to fail. Toward the end of his life, Bae struggled to pay for his hospital bills.
A memorial altar set up at Asan Medical Center in southern Seoul was crowded with entertainers and other mourners.
His friend and fellow comedian Koo, 84, who is hospitalized due to a brain tumor, said in an interview with a daily that: ``I can't stand it though I expected it. It's so hard to lose him.''
Popular comedian Kim Mi-hwa, who visited the hospital to mourn the death of Bae, also told reporters, ``It was really a great honor to act with him when I was very young. Mr. Bae was a hero in my mind.''
After three days of funeral rituals, his body will be cremated, with his remains being put to rest at a cemetery in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday. He is survived by his son and two daughters.