Late actor Choi Bool-am honored for 14-year dedication to food documentary

A KBS 1TV special documentary aired on the 1st revealed how the late Choi Bool-am maintained his commitment to 'Korean Cuisine and Dining' until his death on October 29 at age 87. The program highlighted his 14-year journey since 2011 traveling across Korea and overseas to record the lives and traditions of people through their meals.

The profound sense of responsibility for broadcasting and the heartfelt sincerity toward 'Korean Cuisine and Dining' that the late Choi Bool-am maintained even while on his sickbed has been revealed. Having spent 14 years traveling across the country to record people's lives and memories through their dining tables, he believed that protecting the program until the very last moment his body allowed was the way to repay the love he received from viewers. His final message, delivered while wearing patient clothes but never losing his passion for broadcasting, leaves a deep resonance even after his passing.

The second part of the KBS 1TV special documentary 'Choi Bool-am, Keeper of the Table, We Will Remember You,' which aired on the 1st, highlighted the 14-year journey Choi Bool-am walked with 'Korean Cuisine and Dining' since he began filming in 2011. The broadcast revealed his footsteps as he traveled to every corner of the country to introduce the history embedded in Korean food and the stories of the people, as well as the final farewell he left to viewers upon leaving the program.

For Choi Bool-am, 'Korean Cuisine and Dining' held a meaning beyond a simple food program. It was a task of recording not only seasonal ingredients and unique regional foods but also the family history, community memories, and life wisdom passed down through generations contained within a single meal. He recalled experiencing firsthand the history of food passed down orally for a long time and the flavors preserved by descendants, discovering the driving force behind the development of Korean society within our food and way of life.

His longing for the mothers he met at filming sites was also special. Recalling those who prepared and served food with sincerity while sharing their life stories, Choi expressed them as "mothers whom I am thankful for, miss, and want to embrace." This moment clearly shows his attitude of not merely remaining a host introducing food, but deeply empathizing with people's lives and approaching them with sincerity.

He selected 'Korean Cuisine and Dining' as the most beautiful program in his broadcasting career. His desire to repay the love sent by viewers was greater than anything else. Choi expressed his gratitude, stating that he believed continuing his broadcasts until the last moment his body allowed was his way of repaying the love he had received. The sight of him pausing briefly, as if there were stories he had not yet been able to tell, added to the poignancy, showing how deep his affection for the program was.

The broadcast also captured Choi Bool-am sharing unreserved embraces with the elderly he met during filming. One citizen even embraced him, saying they felt him as a friendly father figure. Although he was an actor who had received national love in front of the camera for many years, his human side, offering warm warmth to ordinary people met on site, still delivered a special emotion.

Even during overseas filming, his gaze remained on people's lives and their longing for their hometowns. He met overseas Koreans in Germany, Mexico, China, the United States, Brazil, as well as Sakhalin and Kazakhstan, sharing the food of their hometowns. For the compatriots living in foreign lands, Korean food was not merely sustenance, but an emotional channel connecting them to childhood memories, family, and their hometowns.

Choi explained that the reason overseas Koreans welcomed the program was also due to their longing for home. He noted that when the mountains, seas, skies of Korea, and the people and food living there appear on screen, they feel as if they have returned to their hometown. Comparing this to a strong human instinct to return home, he confessed that he himself felt overwhelmed to the point of tears while watching the compatriots face and be moved by the tastes of their hometown.

The goal he pursued throughout his life as an actor was to be remembered as an actor who represents the spirit and emotions of Koreans. This philosophy continued unchanged in 'Korean Cuisine and Dining.' Rather than flashy attractions or famous foods, he focused on listening to the stories of neighbors living quietly around us and conveying the traditions and culture they have preserved to viewers. His aim to express Korean life through acting was ultimately implemented in a deeper and warmer form within people's dining tables and daily lives.

Concluding his 14-year journey, Choi left reflections suggesting that every moment passed felt like a gift. He calmly retraced how precious the time spent with the people he met through the program was in his life. In particular, his final greeting, "I step back embracing a warm season," remains as the farewell he offered to viewers after guarding dining tables across the country for many years. Instead of flashy expressions or grand declarations, the single phrase of stepping back while embracing a warm season left a deep lingering impression, seemingly compressing his life and broadcasting philosophy.

Choi Bool-am passed away on October 29 at the age of 87. As a national actor who guarded living rooms for decades and the leader of 'Korean Cuisine and Dining' for 14 years, he recorded the diverse lives of Korean society through acting and broadcasting. His sense of responsibility to protect his work until the end even on his sickbed, his affection for people's stories, and his sincerity in trying to repay the love received from viewers are expected to be remembered for a long time along with his final greeting.

Read the original (Korean)