Oh Se-hoon mourns late Choi Bool-am: “Seoul’s longest-serving goodwill ambassador—we will remember him for a long time”

[Financial News] Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon expressed his condolences on the 30th following the news of the death of beloved actor Choi Bool-am, saying, “Everyone in the Seoul city family will remember with one heart the devotion with which he served as the face of Seoul for so many years.” That day, Mayor Oh posted a message on Facebook titled “The father of us all, Mr. Choi Bool-am,” mourning him and writing, “Beloved actor Mr. Choi Bool-am has left us.”
He looked back in particular on the deceased’s long-standing connection with Seoul City. Mayor Oh said, “His ties with Seoul City were also special,” adding, “Since 1998, he had been with us as a goodwill ambassador for Seoul City, making him our longest-serving ambassador.”
From 1998, the deceased served as a goodwill ambassador for Seoul City for 28 years, helping promote Seoul.
Mayor Oh also recalled the deceased’s familiar, fatherly presence. He said, “Whenever we saw him on screen as Chief Park in ‘Chief Detective’ or Chairman Kim in ‘Country Diaries,’ he warmed our hearts, so his absence feels all the more profound.” He added, “His hearty laugh brought to mind our own fathers, and his voice carried the sorrows of a generation that had endured difficult times.”
He also highlighted how the deceased used television to shine a light on the lives of ordinary neighbors and took part in charitable work for children in need. Mayor Oh said, “For 14 years, he traveled around the country seeking out humble meals and listened to the lives of ordinary neighbors, and he never stopped reaching out to children in need, right to the end.” He went on, “It weighs heavily on my heart that we now have to meet in our memories the nation’s father, whom we thought would always be by our side,” and offered his final words: “Mr. Choi Bool-am, thank you so very much. Rest in peace.”
The deceased passed away at around 10 p.m. on the 29th at a hospital in Seoul’s Gangseo District. He was 87.

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