[Edaily Starin JOO MEE_HEE Reporter] Actor Oh Ji-myung visited the wake of the late Choi Bul-am (real name Choi Young-han), with whom he had shared a friendship for over 60 years, and expressed his grief at having to bid farewell to his friend.

On the 31st of last month, Oh Ji-myung visited Choi Bul-am’s funeral hall at Seoul Asan Hospital in Songpa-gu, Seoul, to pay his last respects to the deceased.
After paying his respects, Oh Ji-myeong spoke with reporters, saying, “He was my closest friend, and I thought I would die first. But now that he’s gone before me, I feel inexplicably guilty,” adding, “I should have been the one to die first,” as he expressed his deep sorrow.
Their friendship dates back to their school days. The two had been friends since their time at Jungang High School and later pursued careers as actors, performing together on the theater stage.
Oh Ji-myeong recalled, “We’ve been friends since we attended Jungang High School. After doing theater together, we both joined the broadcasting station through special recruitment without taking the talent auditions,” adding, “A producer from the 7th KBS intake brought the two of us on board.”
Having spent so many years together, they often joked about which of them would go first.
Oh Ji-myeong said, “We used to joke all the time about who would die first—you or me—but he went first,” and repeatedly added, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I’m still here a little longer,” bringing a somber mood to those around him.
The two had been performing together on the theater stage since the 1960s. According to the National Theater Company’s performance records, they appeared together in the play *Daffodils* in September 1965, and in January of the following year, in the play *Lee Sun-shin*, Oh Ji-myeong played General Lee Sun-shin and Choi Bul-am played General Lee Young-nam.
They continued their long-standing friendship by co-starring in the 2004 film *Don’t Mess Around*. In this film, which Oh Ji-myeong directed, wrote, and starred in, Choi Bul-am and Noh Ju-hyun played the roles of “Byeokdol” and “Sambok,” respectively, delivering comedic performances.
At the time, Oh Ji-myeong explained his reason for casting Choi Bul-am, saying, “Bul-am and I are the same age, and we’ve known each other since we were young.”
Fellow entertainers continued to visit the late actor’s wake to pay their respects.
Popera singer Im Hyung-ju visited the wake on the 31st, following his visit on the 30th of last month. Im Hyung-ju, who was so close to the deceased’s wife, Kim Min-ja, that he called her “Aunt,” plans to sing “Ave Maria” as a funeral hymn during the funeral Mass, in accordance with the wishes of the bereaved family.
Im Hyung-joo said, “Yesterday, I stayed late with Kim Hye-soo and Ahn Hyun-mo, sharing memories of the deceased,” adding, “Kim Hye-soo, in particular, was a connection the deceased helped bring about.”
He continued, “The deceased once asked me to say my final goodbye with a smile, as if we would meet again someday,” and, struggling to hold back his grief, said, “I intend to send him off with a smile, just as he asked.”
Choi Bul-am passed away on the 29th of last month while receiving treatment at a hospital in Gangseo-gu, Seoul. He was 87 years old.
The deceased’s funeral will be held under the auspices of the Green Umbrella Children’s Foundation. The wake is being held in Room 20 of the Seoul Asan Hospital Funeral Home, and the funeral procession will depart at 7:40 a.m. on November 2. A funeral Mass will then be held at Yeouido Cathedral in Seoul, and the final resting place will be Donghwa Gyeongmo Park.