“Farewell, Father of the Nation” ... The late Choi Bool-am to be laid to rest on the 2nd after a 67-year acting career

[Financial News] The late actor Choi Bool-am (born Choi Yeong-han), who throughout his life warmly embraced the public’s joys and sorrows as the “eternal Chief Inspector” and “Father of the Nation,” has entered eternal rest.
At 7:40 a.m. on the 2nd, family members and colleagues will hold a private funeral procession at the funeral hall of Asan Medical Center in Seoul, tearfully seeing the deceased off on his final journey.
A funeral Mass will follow at 9 a.m. at Yeouido Catholic Church in Seoul, presided over by Cardinal Yeom Su-jeong, who baptized the deceased and administered the final anointing of the sick.
At the Mass, popera tenor Lim Hyung-joo, who called the late actor his “uncle by marriage” and was especially close to him during his lifetime, is expected to dedicate the memorial song “Ave Maria,” adding a solemn resonance to the occasion.

Before heading to the burial site, the funeral procession will visit the Green Umbrella Children’s Foundation in Mugyo-dong, Seoul, at around 10:40 a.m.
The late actor, who devoted himself to underprivileged children for 45 years from 1981, had expressed a wish to visit the foundation, even after his death. After a final farewell as employees line up and eulogies are read, he will head to Donghwa Gyeongmo Park, his burial site in Paju-si, Gyeonggi Province, where he will be laid to rest.
A towering figure who made his debut in the 1959 stage production of “Hamlet,” he left a profound mark on the history of Korean acting over 67 years, appearing in about 130 dramas, including “Chief Inspector,” “Country Diaries” and “You and I,” as well as numerous masterpieces. After receiving a deeply moving send-off from people across all walks of life, including Kim Hye-soo, his “daughter,” who quietly took on the role of chief mourner for the past three days, he will remain forever in our hearts as the “Father of the Nation,” leaving behind the warmth of a generosity he practiced throughout his life.
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