Na Moon-hee: “He was our pride...” — Kim Boo-kyum and Lee Sang-byeok also pay their respects to the late Choi Bool-am

[Financial News] On the 30th, the first day of condolence visits for the late actor Choi Bool-am, whose birth name was Choi Yeong-han, fellow entertainers and political figures visited the funeral parlor to pay tribute to him.
That day, Na Moon-hee paid her final respects to the deceased at the funeral hall of Asan Medical Center in Songpa-gu, Seoul. Accompanied by her manager, she laid flowers and then exchanged greetings with the bereaved family.
After paying her respects, Na Moon-hee told reporters, “Mr. Choi, you went ahead of us,” and added, “He was our pride, and it leaves a deep sadness in my heart that he went before us like this.”
Asked about her memories of the deceased, she held back, saying, “There are so many memories,” before replying, “I’ll just cherish them.” She then bowed and left the funeral parlor.
Former Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum and broadcaster Lee Sang-byeok each visited the funeral parlor to pay their respects that day. Actor Kim Seong-hwan and singer Jinseong also visited to pay tribute to the deceased.
Actor Kim Hye-soo and Kim Jong-cheol, acting commissioner general of the Korean National Police Agency, along with his party, also paid their respects that day. J-Hope of BTS sent a condolence wreath to express his sympathy.
Choi Bool-am began his acting career in 1959 with the play “Hamlet” and was selected as a specially recruited television actor by the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) in 1967. He won the love of the public playing the just and warm-hearted Captain Park Young-han in “Chief Detective” and Chairman Kim of Yangchon-ri, who looked after his family and neighbors, in “Country Diaries.”
Alongside acting, he also served in the National Assembly. In 1992, he entered the 14th National Assembly as a proportional-representation lawmaker for the Unification National Party. After losing the 15th general election in 1996, he refocused on acting.
From 2011 through last year, he hosted “Korean Cuisine and Dining” on KBS 1TV. He connected with viewers by sharing the lives and stories of ordinary people across the country through their local foods.
He also devoted himself to social causes for children and young people. As chair of ChildFund Korea’s national supporters’ group, he supported children at home and abroad and took part in broadcasts helping to find missing children and assist children with rare and incurable diseases. As chairman of the incorporated association Zero Camp, he supported cultural and arts education and social reintegration for juvenile inmates.
The deceased passed away on the 29th while receiving inpatient treatment at a hospital in Gangseo-gu, Seoul. He was 87. The funeral will be held for five days as a ChildFund Korea funeral, with the organization’s chairman, Hwang Young-key, serving as chair of the funeral committee.
The funeral procession is scheduled to depart at 7 a.m. on November 2. A funeral Mass will be held that day at Yeouido Catholic Church in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, and the final resting place will be Donghwa Gyeongmo Park in Paju, Gyeonggi Province.
[email protected] Shin Jin-a, Jang In-seo Reporter