"He Was Our Pride": Nation Mourns, Awarded Cultural Medal

[Anchor]

Condolences from colleagues, juniors, and the entire nation continue to pour in as people bid a final farewell to the late veteran actor, who defined an era of Korean dramas. In recognition of his profound contributions to broadcasting and popular culture, the government has posthumously awarded him the Geumgwan Order of Cultural Merit, the highest class of the cultural medal. We connect now with the reporter at the funeral hall of Asan Medical Center in Seoul.

Ryu Ran, please give us the atmosphere at the mortuary.

[Reporter]

Yes, fellow celebrities who shared connections with the late actor, along with regular mourners, have been visiting throughout the day.

Actor Kim Hye-ja, who worked closely with him for a long time in his signature work "Country Diaries," arrived a short while ago, and fellow actors including former Minister Yu In-chon, who played his son, also visited the mortuary.

[Yu In-chon / Former Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism: Since 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 Bul-am has left us first. He was our pride, and I feel a great void in my heart that he left us so soon. Rest in peace.]

[Cha In-pyo / Actor: We played the roles of father and son in the drama 'You and I'.... I remember how he treated even distant junior actors as equals with great personal respect.]

President Lee Jae-myung expressed condolences via social media, saying, "I will remember the teacher who stayed by the public's side for a long time as the father of our era."

The government posthumously conferred the Geumgwan Order of Cultural Merit—the highest-grade cultural honor—noting that he was "an actor who faithfully stayed by the people's side for 67 years, spanning theater, dramas, films, and cultural programs."

Online, messages wishing for his peaceful repose have been posted, recalling his beloved masterworks.

Tributes continued, promising to long remember the actor who won affection through down-to-earth roles such as "Chairman Kim from Yangchon-ri" and the "Eternal Chief Inspector."

The funeral will be held as a ChildFund Korea funeral, an organization where the deceased served as a sponsor chairperson for over 40 years, and the funeral procession will take place on November 2.

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

(Photo: Yonhap News)
(Video reporting: Kim Hak-mo, Park Jin-ho | Video editing: Kim Kyung-yeon)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.