"National Father" Choi Bul-am Laid to Rest Amid Family and Colleague Send-Offs... Final Farewell at Children's Foundation He Supported for 45 Years

Actor Choi Bul-am, affectionately known as the "national father," has passed away at the age of 87.

The funeral procession for Choi was held at 7:40 a.m. today at the funeral hall of Asan Medical Center in Songpa-gu, Seoul. In accordance with the wishes of the bereaved family, the procession was held privately.

The late actor's wife, actress Kim Min-ja, along with his children, grandchildren, and senior and junior actors such as Kim Hye-soo, Shin Hyun-joon, Jung Joon-ho, and Song Il-kook, attended. Many grew teary-eyed as the casket was escorted, led by the deceased's portrait.

The funeral procession headed to Yeouido St. Mary's Church in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, where a funeral mass was held. The funeral mass was officiated by Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung starting at 9:00 a.m. Popera tenor Lim Hyung-joo, who was particularly close to the deceased and affectionately called him his "uncle," sang the memorial song "Ave Maria."

Starting at 10:40 a.m., a farewell ceremony is scheduled to be held at the headquarters of the ChildFund Korea in Jung-gu, Seoul, an organization the deceased has supported for 45 years. It is reported that the deceased had expressed a wish to visit the foundation after his passing. He apparently wanted to bid a final farewell to the children he had supported for a long time before leaving. At the venue, executives and staff members will line up to welcome the portrait of the deceased, and an employee representative will read a eulogy to honor his dedication. Afterward, members of the funeral committee will lay flowers at a memorial space prepared on the first floor of the foundation, and the deceased's portrait will tour the foundation before heading to the burial site, Donghwa Park Cemetery in Paju, Gyeonggi Province.


Choi Bul-am closed his eyes around 10:00 p.m. on October 29 while receiving inpatient treatment at a hospital in Gangseo-gu, Seoul. He had been focusing on rehabilitation therapy following back surgery for a herniated disc last year, but his health reportedly deteriorated rapidly of late.

Born in 1939, the late actor debuted in 1959 with the play "Hamlet." He entered the broadcasting industry after being selected as a special-recruit talent by KBS in 1967. He came to be called a "national actor" and "national father" through iconic roles such as Chief Inspector Park Young-han in MBC's "Chief Inspector," the pioneer of Korean-style investigative dramas, and Chairman Kim of Yangchon-ri in "Country Diaries," the nation's longest-running drama which aired for 22 years. Since 2011, he has been loved for hosting KBS's "Korean Table," conveying the lives of our neighbors and Korea's food culture with sincere language and a humble smile.

Starting October 30, the day after his passing, a steady stream of mourners from the cultural, political, and business circles visited the funeral hall. Family members from his representative work "Country Diaries," including Kim Hye-ja, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Yu In-chon, Ko Doo-shim, Lim Ho, the couple Kim Ji-young and Nam Sung-jin, and Lee Kye-in, kept vigil at the mortuary. In addition, Na Moon-hee, Park Geun-hyung, Oh Ji-myung, Kang Boo-ja, and Lee Deok-hwa, who starred alongside him in "You and I," as well as Lee Je-hoon from "Chief Detective 1958," visited the mortuary to pay their respects.

Kim Hye-soo visited the mortuary for all three days to comfort the bereaved family and greet mourners together. Having built a bond when they played mother and daughter—with Kim Min-ja playing the deceased's wife—in the 1987 drama "Samogok," she has reportedly called Choi Bul-am her "father" and lived like family. Throughout the funeral procession, she supported Kim Min-ja as she wept, consoling her through the pain and sense of loss of parting with her spouse.

Politicians with whom the deceased built ties during his tenure as a lawmaker also paid their respects. Prominent figures including Kim Min-seok, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea; former Democratic Party leader Song Gil; former Prime Ministers Kim Boo-kyum and Lee Nak-yon; Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon; People Power Party lawmakers Kwon Young-se and Na Kyung-won; Rebuilding Korea Party leader Shin Chang-sik; acting Police Commissioner General Kim Jong-chul; and Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Choi Whi-young, who delivered order of cultural merit (Geumgwan), visited the funeral hall to mourn the late actor on his final journey.


(Photo: Yonhap News / SBS, Reported by Kim Ji-hye)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.