National actor Choi Bool-am dies at 87 after 67-year career

Veteran actor Choi Bool-am passed away at a Seoul hospital around 10:30 p.m. on the 29th following a period of difficult mobility after spinal disc surgery last March. The "National Father" will be honored with a ChildFund Korea funeral at the Asan Medical Center Funeral Hall starting on the 30th.

Tributes are pouring in from the culture and arts community and the public following the death of actor Choi Bool-am, who protected the living rooms of South Korea with a 67-year acting career. Colleagues and juniors expressed deep condolences for the final journey of the national actor, who was loved across generations as Chief Park Yeong-han in 'Chief Inspector' and Chairman Kim in 'Country Diaries'. In particular, popera tenor Lim Hyung-joo, who shared a special bond with the deceased, expressed his grief, stating he did not know that the greeting shared during a hospital visit a few months ago would become an eternal farewell.

Choi Bool-am passed away at the age of 87 at around 10:30 p.m. on the 29th while receiving treatment at a hospital in Gangseo-gu, Seoul. After undergoing spinal disc surgery last March, his mobility became difficult, leading him to step down from the KBS 1TV show 'Korean Cuisine and Dining', which he had hosted for 14 years, to focus on rehabilitation. In June, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Choi Hwi-young shared a photo of a hospital visit to provide an update on his condition. Even then, many prayed for his recovery upon hearing he greeted visitors with his characteristic smile, but only a few months later, the eternal parting arrived.

Following the news, tributes from figures in the culture and arts community who were connected to the deceased followed in succession. Lim Hyung-joo, a popera tenor and chairperson of the Yongsan Cultural Foundation, posted a heartfelt tribute to Choi Bool-am on his social media. Having maintained a close relationship with the couple—calling the deceased's wife, actress Kim Min-ja, "Aunt"—Lim expressed his special affection by referring to Choi Bool-am as "Uncle."

“Respected and beloved Uncle Choi Bool-am. I cannot believe it. Only tears flow,” Lim wrote. “I did not know that the greeting during the hospital visit a few months ago would be an eternal farewell.” He continued his final farewell, saying, “Thank you so much for being a warm father to many citizens. Please rest peacefully by the Lord's side and show us wonderful acting in heaven.” As they were as close as family, his tribute contained both the sadness of losing an actor who represented an era and a sense of personal loss.

Online, tributes continue to revisit Choi Bool-am's representative works and famous scenes. Netizens reacted by recalling his image in 'Chief Inspector' and 'Country Diaries', expressing that a true elder of the era has been lost. Beyond the obituary of a single famous actor, the weight of the mourning is unique in that it marks the departure of a figure who was deeply embedded in the lives of the public by portraying the stories of families and neighbors for a long time.

Born in Incheon in 1940, Choi Bool-am began his acting career with the stage play 'Hamlet' in 1959. After expanding his field of activity to TV dramas through the National Theater Company of Korea, he established himself as a symbol of Korean-style investigative drama by playing the role of Chief Park Yeong-han in the MBC series 'Chief Inspector', which ran from 1971 to 1989. His performance, which added human warmth to the integrity of a justice-seeking investigator, left a powerful impression on viewers at the time and led to the nickname "Eternal Chief Inspector."

MBC's 'Country Diaries' is the work that imprinted him as the national father. Appearing as Chairman Kim of Yangchon-ri for 22 years from 1980 to 2002, Choi Bool-am unpretentiously portrayed the image of a patriarch supporting his family and village community. His natural acting alongside actress Kim Hye-ja, with whom he played his wife, was so familiar it was reminiscent of a real couple. His image of harboring consideration within strictness and embracing his family amidst conflict remains a typical model of a father remembered by Korean society for many years.

Choi Bool-am's life was not limited to his acting activities. He participated in support activities for marginalized children and youth, serving as the national supporter chairperson for ChildFund Korea, and also worked to provide opportunities for rehabilitation through culture, arts, and education for male juvenile offenders who were far from social attention. His activities transcend the boundaries of the profession of an actor in that he sought to practice the affection for humanity and interest in the socially weak that he showed in his works in real life.

To honor the deceased's lifelong spirit of sharing and social contribution, the funeral will be held as a ChildFund Korea funeral. The mortuary is set up at the Asan Medical Center Funeral Hall in Seoul, and mourners will be received from 10 a.m. on the 30th. Bereaved family, colleagues, and figures from the culture and arts community are expected to see him off on his final journey.

Through numerous works, Choi Bool-am showed the face of a person living through an era, as well as a father and neighbor to many. The acting he left behind remains as a history of Korean drama, and the sharing he practiced outside the stage continues as another memory. While the void left by the actor, who was loved for a long time under the name "National Father," is large, the warm scenes and his heart toward people that he left behind will not be easily forgotten.

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