Wesley Snipes praises late father-in-law, legendary South Korean TV producer

Wesley Snipes, left, and Park Cheol. Korea Times file, Yonhap

American actor Wesley Snipes on Tuesday honored the life and career of late South Korean television producer and father-in-law Park Cheol, praising him for being a key driving force behind today's wide popularity of Korean culture overseas.

In a Korean-language eulogy in honor of Park, Snipes applauded his late father-in-law for leading South Korea "to the forefront of cultural history" and pushing the country forward as "a great powerhouse that created the Korean cultural wave that has captured the world's attention."

Park died on July 13 at 82. He was responsible for creating the TV drama series "What is Love" on MBC TV, which had ratings as high as 64.9 percent during its 1991-92 broadcasts.

"What is Love" is often cited as one of the first successful Korean cultural export products, having attracted some 150 million Chinese TV viewers on China's CCTV in 1997.

Snipes married Park's daughter, Na-kyung, in 2003.

The American actor noted that Park's works provided comfort and solace to the South Korean people during the country's era of post-war reconstruction.

"From the era of reconstruction in Korea, through the years of turbulence, through vision, courage and creativity, you helped the people cry, laugh and grow," Snipes said. He added that Park would be remembered by his family and that his fans "praise and thank you." (Yonhap)

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