Late actor Choi Bool-am requested final visit to ChildFund Korea

The late actor Choi Bool-am, who served as National Supporters Chairman for 41 years, requested a visit to ChildFund Korea before his interment. Following his death on the 29th, the hearse is scheduled to visit the foundation's headquarters in Mugyo-dong, Seoul, before proceeding to Donghwa Gyeongmo Park.

The late actor Choi Bool-am, who was beloved by the public for many years as the "national father," is taking his final journey accompanied by ChildFund Korea, an organization with which he maintained a special bond. Much like the numerous works he left behind as an actor, his lifelong dedication to children in need leaves a profound resonance in his final journey. In particular, it is reported that before passing away, the deceased left instructions for those around him to ensure a visit to the foundation he was part of for a long time before proceeding to his final resting place.

ChildFund Korea announced on the 30th that the funeral for Choi Bool-am, the National Supporters Chairman who passed away on the 29th, will be held under the title of "ChildFund Korea Funeral Director." He was 87 years old. Beyond being a nationally beloved actor, he practiced sharing for marginalized children and youth for approximately 40 years, consistently reminding society of the meaning of donations and child welfare.

The connection between Choi Bool-am and ChildFund Korea began in 1981. It was sparked by relationships he formed with child actors while filming the drama "Country Diaries." This later led to organized sponsorship activities as the cast of "Country Diaries" and "Ordinary People" began participating in group sponsorship programs. ChildFund Korea evaluates him as a representative figure who spread the culture of sponsorship within the entertainment industry.

After being appointed as the National Supporters Chairman of ChildFund Korea in 1985, he spent 41 years visiting child welfare sites both domestically and abroad. He took the lead in meeting children in difficult environments to encourage them, motivating supporters, and promoting the necessity of child welfare. He also served as the voice for approximately 600,000 supporters. While remembered by the public as the warm father figure from his dramas, he sought to be a reliable adult for children in need in reality.

His interest was not limited to Korea. Starting with Ethiopia in 2007, he personally visited Africa, including Uganda in 2014 and Kenya in 2015, to meet children suffering from hunger and disease. Even as he aged, he visited overseas child welfare sites to empathize with the difficulties of children and worked to gather national attention to improve their lives.

His role was also significant in establishing a foundation for overseas sponsorship. In the 1990s, when domestic child welfare resources were insufficient, he looked abroad, visiting the United States and Europe starting in 1994 to promote the formation of local overseas supporter associations. Based on these efforts, ChildFund Korea was able to establish a system of 25 overseas supporter associations across eight countries. He contributed to building a foundation that allowed for continuous support rather than merely encouraging donations.

He also focused on teenagers facing social prejudice and crises, not just children in poverty. In 2012, he established the non-profit organization Zero Camp to help at-risk and out-of-school youth recover their self-esteem and grow into healthy members of society. He also conducted activities such as preparing and performing musicals with juvenile inmates. Driven by the awareness that punishment and exclusion alone are difficult ways to change a teenager's life, he sought to demonstrate the possibility of empathy and support through action.

Choi Bool-am also consistently expressed his philosophy of sharing through his words. At the ceremony commemorating the 30th anniversary of his inauguration as National Supporters Chairman in 2015, he emphasized, "I can never imagine being happy by myself, and children must be viewed as another 'me'." He continued, "True service is not holding an umbrella for someone in the rain, but getting wet in the rain with them," adding, "What people need most is people." His remarks contained the meaning that true sharing is not sympathy from a distance, but solidarity by stepping into the lives of others.

The final request left by the deceased aligns with this life trajectory. It is said that during his life, he told those around him to visit the ChildFund Korea foundation before heading to the burial site after his passing. Accordingly, following the funeral procession, the hearse is scheduled to visit the ChildFund Korea headquarters in Mugyo-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul, before heading to the final resting place at Donghwa Gyeongmo Park. At the place where the deceased spent his life walking for children, foundation officials and supporters will now see him off.

In 2011, Choi Bool-am served as the chief mourner at the funeral of the late supporter Kim U-su, who was known as the "Steel Lunchbox Donation Angel." At that time, Kim's funeral was also conducted under the title of "ChildFund Korea Funeral Director." Having stood by the final moments of a supporter who practiced sharing despite difficult circumstances, he is now receiving his final farewells under the name of the foundation to which he dedicated many years. The connection between the two serves as a reminder of how those who practice sharing remember and see each other off.

Younggi Hwang, Chairman of ChildFund Korea, commemorated the deceased, stating, "As the national father, he reflected the joys and sorrows of our lives through his acting and always thought of the marginalized first with a warm heart." He added that the deceased always emphasized that "it is the role of adults to give children hope," and promised to eternally remember his will and activities, as he did not let go of his love for children until his final moment.

Chairman Younggi Hwang will serve as the funeral committee chair. Committee members include Lee Soo-sung, former Prime Minister Lee Nack-yon, former National Assembly member Hong Moon-jong, Father Kim Seong-eun, Secretary General of the National Assembly Legislative Policy Research Institute Han Il-su, ChildFund Korea CEO Yang Ok-kyung, and the National Supporters Chairman executive group. The funeral altar has been prepared in Room 20 of the Asan Medical Center funeral hall, and a separate memorial space will also be created on the first floor of the ChildFund Korea headquarters in Mugyo-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul. The funeral procession will depart at 7:00 AM on November 2, and the burial site is Donghwa Gyeongmo Park.

For decades, Choi Bool-am stood before the camera acting out the sorrows of ordinary people and showing the face of a warm adult. His final request was not a demand to be remembered, but rather a desire to say a final goodbye to the children he poured his heart into throughout his life and to the people who help them. This is why his final journey, as he remains an eternal father to the nation, leaves an even deeper resonance.

Read the original (Korean)