Late Choi Bool-am, the 'Nation's Father,' Returns to TV as KBS and MBC Schedule Memorial Documentaries

[Financial News] A memorial special will revisit the acting career of the late actor Choi Bool-am (real name: Choi Young-han) and his appearances on Korean Cuisine and Dining. KBS and MBC have scheduled documentaries in succession looking back at his life and work.
According to the broadcasting industry on the 30th, KBS 1TV will air special documentaries honoring him at 11:10 p.m. that day and at 8:10 p.m. on November 1, respectively.
The November 1 special will look back on the 14 years he spent with Korean Cuisine and Dining. Actor Choi Soo-jong, who currently hosts the program, is reportedly set to narrate it.
From the program's first broadcast in 2011 through last year, Choi Bool-am led the show, sharing food from across the country and the stories of the neighbors behind it. After he left the program last year, Choi Soo-jong took over as host.
Choi Soo-jong paid tribute to him in a post on his social media account that day, writing, "I was truly happy and grateful to be able to laugh and cry together under the great shadow of a teacher like you."
KBS also posted a memorial banner on its official website, saying it would remember him as "the eternal father of Koreans" and "a warm elder by our side."
MBC has scheduled reruns of Parts 1 and 2 of its documentary Choi Bool-am, first shown last May. Part 1 will air at 8:40 p.m. that day, and Part 2 at 9:30 a.m. on November 1.
The documentary looks back, with music, on decades of his work and life. Actors Park Geun-hyung, Ko Doo-shim, Park Sang-won, Chae Shi-ra and Jung Kyung-ho, among others, appear to share memories of their time with him.
He was initially scheduled to appear in the documentary, but did not take part in new filming, in accordance with his family's wishes that he focus on rehabilitation treatment.
During his lifetime, Choi Bool-am emphasized the "spirit of the performer"—that actors should share in the lives of the public and offer laughter and comfort. While the documentary was being prepared, he said, "I want to express my gratitude to the viewers who have loved me for so long. That's the heart of a performer."
He was beloved for his roles as Chief Park Young-han in Chief Detective and Chairman Kim of Yangchon-ri in Country Diaries. Away from broadcasting, he served as national sponsorship chair for ChildFund Korea and worked to support charitable giving for children.
He died on the 29th while receiving inpatient treatment at a hospital in Seoul's Gangseo District. He was 87. A five-day funeral will be held under the auspices of ChildFund Korea.
The funeral procession is scheduled for around 7:40 a.m. on November 2. A funeral Mass will be held at Yeouido Catholic Church at around 9 a.m. that day, followed by a farewell at ChildFund Korea headquarters at around 10:40 a.m. He will be buried at Donghwa Gyeongmo Park in Paju, Gyeonggi Province.
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