Late Choi Bool-am’s funeral procession to be held privately on the 2nd; final farewell at Green Umbrella, with which he had ties for 45 years

[Financial News] The funeral procession for actor Choi Bool-am (born Choi Young-han) will be held privately on the 2nd, in accordance with his family’s wishes. After the funeral Mass, he will exchange final farewells with the executives and staff at Green Umbrella’s headquarters, with which he had maintained ties for 45 years, before proceeding to his burial site.
According to Green Umbrella on the 1st, the funeral procession will take place at 7:40 a.m. on the 2nd at the funeral hall of Asan Medical Center in Songpa District, Seoul. A funeral Mass will follow at around 9 a.m. at Yeouido Catholic Church in Yeongdeungpo District, Seoul, presided over by Cardinal Yeom Su-jeong.
At around 10:40 a.m., a farewell will be held at Green Umbrella’s headquarters in Mugyo-dong, Jung District, Seoul. Foundation executives and staff will line up to receive the late actor’s portrait, and a staff representative will deliver a eulogy honoring his work and dedication to child welfare.
Members of the funeral committee will lay flowers at a memorial space set up on the first floor of the headquarters. The program at the headquarters will conclude with a tour of the foundation accompanied by the portrait. The burial site is Donghwa Gyeongmo Park in Paju-si, Gyeonggi Province. Events inside the foundation will be held privately due to space and safety concerns.
He died on the 29th of last month, and his funeral, organized by ChildFund Korea, is being held over five days. Hwang Young-key, chair of Green Umbrella, is serving as chair of the funeral committee, with former prime ministers Lee Soo-sung and Lee Nak-yon among its members. His wake is being held in Room 20 at the funeral hall of Asan Medical Center.
Cardinal Yeom, who will preside over the funeral Mass, baptized the late actor into the Catholic Church in 2018. Choi chose Francis as his baptismal name and also renewed his marriage vows with his wife, actor Kim Min-ja. Cardinal Yeom also visited Choi in hospital on the 20th of last month and administered the Anointing of the Sick.
Choi Bool-am’s ties with Green Umbrella date back to 1981. Inspired by the storyline in the drama Country Diaries in which Mr. Kim takes Geumdong-i into his family, Choi began sponsoring children at the urging of the late Kim Seok-san, then secretary-general of the Children’s Foundation and later its chair.
In 1985, he became chair of the national supporters’ association and continued, until his death 41 years later, to help children at home and abroad and promote a culture of sharing. He encouraged fellow actors to take part in sponsorship and visited child welfare sites overseas, including in Sri Lanka in 2006, Ethiopia in 2007 and Uganda in 2008.
Choi Bool-am began his acting career in 1959 with the play Hamlet. He was beloved for his roles as Chief Inspector Park Young-han in the drama Chief Inspector and as Mr. Kim of Yangchon-ri in Country Diaries, and hosted Korean Cuisine and Dining on KBS1 TV from 2011 through last year.
Green Umbrella said it would honor the late actor, who devoted himself to child welfare, with due respect and continue working to carry forward in society the values of sharing he upheld throughout his life.

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