Veteran South Korean actor Choi Bool-am dies at 87, with tributes pouring in from public figures and the entertainment community. Multiple outlets report he dies on Thursday night at a Seoul hospital after recent health deterioration, and that he is widely remembered as a long-running “father figure” on television. Articles also note his television career spans nearly seven decades, beginning in 1967.
President Lee Jae Myung extends condolences and recalls Choi’s roles and message about becoming a good actor by first becoming a good person. Yonhap focuses on the president’s condolences, while Korea Times adds additional detail, including Lee’s memorial remarks and, in one report, Choi’s posthumous bestowal of the Geumgwan Order of Cultural Merit, described as the highest class of South Korea’s cultural honours. Other coverage highlights Prime Minister Han Seong-sook’s remarks praising his cultural impact and citing his public welfare contributions.
Across reports, outlets converge on his status as a widely loved TV icon and the tone of remembrances from government leaders, industry figures, and members of the public.
