Kim Hye-soo Arranges Mourners’ Shoes and Supports the Bereaved ... The ‘Real Daughter’s’ Way of Saying Goodbye at the Late Choi Bool-am’s Funeral

[Financial News] Actress Kim Hye-soo is seeing the late Choi Bool-am off on his final journey, leaving a profound afterglow. Though they were not related by blood, the meticulous care she showed at the funeral was the very image of a ‘real daughter’ who had lost her father.
On the 31st, videos of Kim Hye-soo quietly keeping vigil at the late Choi Bool-am’s funeral were shared on online communities and YouTube, moving mourners and netizens. In the footage, Kim stayed at the funeral hall until late, personally arranging in neat rows the shoes mourners had taken off. She also respectfully saw off senior actors Yoon Yeo-jeong and Go Doo-shim after they paid their respects, effectively taking on the role of chief mourner.
Her warm care for the deceased’s wife, Kim Min-ja, who was grieving the loss of her lifelong partner, stood out in particular. Kim Hye-soo stayed close beside Kim Min-ja as she left the funeral hall, supporting her and personally wrapping a scarf around her to shield her from the cold wind, soothing the bereaved family’s empty hearts.
Their relationship goes back 37 years. After Kim Hye-soo played Kim Min-ja’s daughter in the 1987 drama ‘Samogok,’ she continued to share a special bond with the deceased, calling him ‘Father.’ When she appeared on the 10th-anniversary special of KBS 1TV’s ‘Korean Cuisine and Dining,’ hosted by him, in 2021, she also spoke of her deep affection, saying, ‘You two are like a mom and dad to me.’
The junior actress had treasured the text messages the deceased sent her, saying they were ‘like a poem.’ The composed yet profound grief she has shown in bidding farewell to the ‘nation’s father’ is bringing a gentle warmth to the funeral hall and beyond.
Meanwhile, the funeral procession for the late Choi Bool-am, who died at the age of 87 on the 29th, will take place on the 2nd.


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