New footage of late actor Choi Bool-am released in KBS documentary

A KBS 1TV special documentary aired on the 30th featuring footage of Choi Bool-am from April 2024, showing the actor in a new suit gifted by his wife. The footage provides a poignant contrast to his subsequent health decline following spinal disc surgery last March.

Footage of the late Choi Bool-am from just two years ago has been released, leaving viewers deeply moved. Dressed in a neat new suit while heading to a filming site, he smiled brightly, noting it was a gift from his wife, and found beauty even in the heavy morning commute. As his living moments—interpreting the meaning of ordinary daily life and dining tables with his signature warm perspective—were revealed, the longing for the late actor has deepened.

In the KBS 1TV special documentary "A Beloved Guest in Our Homes, Choi Bool-am – A Warmhearted Elder, Choi Bool-am, You Showed Us the Way," which aired on the 30th, footage of Choi Bool-am during a spring filming session in April 2024 was revealed. Appearing on set just two years ago, he stood before the camera looking healthy and energetic.

Appearing in a sharp suit that day, Choi smiled and said, "It is a new suit my wife bought for me. I wanted to come out wearing a new suit." His display of simple joy in wearing clothes prepared by his wife revealed the human side of the national actor who has been loved by the public for many years.

Setting out for filming early in the morning, he shared unique sentiments while watching the vehicles filling the road during the morning rush. "It is 6:30 in the morning and the traffic is jammed. Those who don't go to filming sites will know what I mean," he began, adding, "People who are already awake and starting their daily lives from early morning."

He further added, "I wish all of South Korea was on this road every day at 6:00 in the morning." Rather than merely observing a traffic jam, he read the dynamism of life from the movement of people heading toward their respective destinations. He marveled, "The important thing is the destination. The sight of people lighting their eyes and finding the places they must go is a scene of art. It is breathtaking." This moment fully revealed Choi's characteristic perspective of viewing even everyday landscapes as a piece of art.

For him, who led "Korean Cuisine and Dining" for a long time, food was not merely a means to satisfy hunger. Choi emphasized the accumulated time and wisdom in Korean food, stating, "It is very important to maintain harmony between the old and the new within the dining tables of the present, past, and future." He explained, "Our mothers' food is wise and wonderful. The skill of mothers is passed down to their children, and their fingertips and flavors assist our lives."

In particular, he expressed longing for his mother, saying, "I think the reason I live this healthily is also due to the power of my mother's kimchi." His philosophy of deeply understanding the value of family love and generational transmission contained in a single meal served as the emotional foundation that supported the program for many years.

Memories of Choi Bool-am, who loved literature and poetry, were also introduced. He recalled that poets frequently visited the restaurant his mother operated during his childhood, where he watched poets, for whom poverty was a daily reality, find happiness with just a piece of kimchi. He also shared an anecdote from when he entered university, noting that the poet Byeon Yeong-ro offered him a glass of makgeolli as a congratulatory gesture. He conveyed an attitude of finding satisfaction in simple moments, saying, "Being in a good mood from a glass of makgeolli is happiness."

Choi Bool-am, who discovered art in an ordinary commute, recalled the source of his health in his mother's kimchi, and spoke of happiness in a glass of makgeolli. His appearance moving around the filming site with a bright expression just two years ago stands in poignant contrast to the subsequent decline in his health.

After undergoing spinal disc surgery last March, Choi's mobility became difficult, and he stepped down from the KBS 1TV "Korean Cuisine and Dining," which he had led for 14 years since 2011. Although he focused on rehabilitation afterward, his health declined rapidly before he passed away. The smiles and warm voice captured in the documentary ensure that not only his works but also his attitude toward daily life will be remembered for a long time.

Read the original (Korean)