“Carrying on the wishes he left behind”... Hwang Young-ki, ChildFund Korea chair, releases eulogy for late Choi Bool-am [Full text]

[Financial News] Hwang Young-ki, chair of ChildFund Korea, paid tribute to the late actor Choi Bool-am (born Choi Young-han), vowing, “We will carry on the wishes you left behind and always live by the side of children.” He honored Choi’s dedication to child welfare, saying that he had brought into his own life the image of a good adult he had portrayed through acting.
In an eulogy distributed by ChildFund Korea on the 2nd, Hwang recalled telling the late actor, who was in the hospital, that they would care for him devotedly until the end, and how Choi nodded. Hwang reflected, “It was brief, but a final greeting filled with deep trust.”
He also looked back on the child sponsorship and support for children overseas that began with Country Diaries in 1981, as well as efforts to help youths from juvenile prisons reintegrate into society. Choi’s funeral will be held under the auspices of ChildFund Korea, with Hwang serving as chair of the funeral committee. The full eulogy follows.[Full text of the eulogy]The nation’s eternal father,
In memory of the late Choi Bool-am, Chair of the Supporters’ Association, who stood by children throughout his life
I am Hwang Young-ki, chair of ChildFund Korea.
Mrs. Kim Min-ja and members of the bereaved family,
I cannot begin to imagine how much pain you must be feeling.
Please accept my deepest condolences.
Today, gathering the heartfelt gratitude of
the children who grew up in the love of
Choi Bool-am, Chair of the Supporters’ Association,
I offer this farewell..
Not long ago, I visited the chair in his hospital bed.
As he had always wished, and as his family requested,
I told him we would care for him devotedly until the end.
He nodded in response.
It was brief, but a final greeting filled with deep trust.
To the great elder who stood by children throughout his life,
at the thought that we must say goodbye,
I cannot hold back my profound grief and sorrow.
On October 30, the government posthumously awarded the chair the Geumgwan Order of Cultural Merit.
It was the nation’s final expression of gratitude for a life loved by the entire country.
The public remembers Choi Bool-am, Chair of the Supporters’ Association, as “the nation’s father.”
As Chief Park Young-han in Chief Inspector, and Mr. Kim in Country Diaries,
and as the kindly neighbor who offered a warm meal on Korean Cuisine and Dining.
He also shared with our society
the love he had received from the public.
The chair, who lost his father at an early age,
said he learned the role of a father through Country Diaries.
But his life went beyond simply acting the part of a father.
In 1981, when Geumdong-i was welcomed into the family on Country Diaries,
viewers sent calls and letters of praise.
Though he was only acting out a story written by a screenwriter,
he said he felt burdened by being praised as though he had done something good.
So he wanted to help children who were in real need,
and that was how his relationship with ChildFund Korea, which lasted nearly half a century, began.
The image of a good adult he had shown through acting
was something he carried into his own life.
Since becoming national chair of the Supporters’ Association in 1985,
he led by example, helping more adults build connections
with children in need.
He personally visited Korean communities in the Americas and Europe and brought people together to contribute,
and showed deep affection for children in faraway countries such as Ethiopia, Uganda and Kenya.
He showed them profound care.
Starting in 2012, for a full 14 years, he worked with youths in juvenile prisons,
teaching them theater and musicals and encouraging their reintegration into society,
and established the incorporated association Zero Camp,
showing our society that “the power of empathy and support” is far stronger than punishment.
“An adult’s role is to give children hope.
We should see children as another version of ourselves.”
The warm voice and kind smile with which he said those words
are things we can no longer encounter,
a heartbreaking fact that is still hard to believe.
Choi Bool-am, Chair of the Supporters’ Association,
Thank you so much for everything.
Carrying on the wishes you left behind,
we, too, will always live by the side of children.
Thank you.
We love you.
Rest in peace.
November 2, 2026
Hwang Young-ki, chair of ChildFund Korea
[email protected] Jang In-seo Reporter