Mourners Pay Tributes to Late Actor Choi Bool-am, Honored with Cultural Medal

[Anchor]

Following the passing of actor Choi Bool-am, who received nationwide affection across dramas, theater, and films, two days ago on October 29, mourners have been visiting his wake. The government has posthumously awarded the late actor the highest class of cultural medal.

Reporter Kim Gyeong-hui has the details.

[Reporter]

As he was deeply loved as the nation's father, mourners continued to visit actor Choi Bool-am's wake throughout the day.

Fellow actors, including actress Kim Hye-ja, who played his wife in the late actor's representative drama "Country Diaries," visited the wake to bid their final farewells.

[Kim Hye-ja / Actor: I have so many memories of him, and I will live remembering them all. I want to tell him that we will meet soon. How much longer will I live? Let us meet soon. We will meet soon. Because he is someone I miss so dearly, we will meet soon.]

[Yoo In-chon / Former Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism: Because he lived as a father for 22 years in Country Diaries, he was like family, and even in daily life, I always called him father, father….]

[Na Moon-hee / Actor: Choi Bool-am, you have left us first. You were our pride. Leaving so early leaves a big empty space in my heart. Rest in peace.]

The government posthumously awarded the late actor the Geumgwan Order of Cultural Merit, the highest grade of cultural orders, in recognition of his 67 years with the public in theater, film, and television.

Debuting in the 1959 play "Hamlet" and moving into TV dramas in 1967, the late actor received nationwide love through dramas such as "Chief Inspector" and "Country Diaries."

[Mother, please don't send me away. Geumdong, Geumdong is not going anywhere.]

Prompted by an adoption episode in a drama, he began support activities for children in crisis and actively engaged in supporting out-of-school youths.

He briefly entered politics, but after failing to win re-election, he returned to his path as an actor.

After halting a program he had hosted for 14 years due to spinal disc surgery in March of last year, he ultimately failed to recover despite the cheers of many.

His funeral will be held as a ChildFund Korea funeral, an organization where he served as head of the sponsorship committee for over 40 years, and will be solemnized on November 2.

Former Prime Ministers Lee Soo-sung and Lee Nak-yon are serving as funeral committee members, and the funeral mass will be presided over by Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung, who administered the late actor's baptism.

(Photo: MBC, KBS / Video reporting: Park Jin-ho, Kim Nam-sung / VJ: Oh Se-kwan / Video editing: Yu Mi-ra / Video source: MBC, KBS)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.