[Edaily Reporter Gim Ga Yeong ] The late actor Choi Bul-am was laid to rest amid tears from his wife, Kim Min-ja, and fellow actors.

At 7:40 a.m. on the 2nd, the funeral service for the late Choi Bul-am was held at the Seoul Asan Hospital Funeral Home in Songpa-gu, Seoul. In accordance with the wishes of the bereaved family, the service was held privately.
Junior actors who had maintained a close relationship with the late actor—including Kim Hye-soo, Shin Hyun-joon, Jung Joon-ho, Ahn Hyun-mo, and Kim Kyung-ran—attended the funeral to see him off on his final journey. Kim Hye-soo, whose relationship with the late actor was so close that she referred to him as “Father,” remained at the funeral hall throughout the service, serving as the chief mourner; during the funeral procession, she supported and comforted Kim Min-ja as she wept.
The funeral procession headed to Yeouido Cathedral in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. The funeral Mass to be held there will be presided over by Cardinal Yeom Soo-jeong, and popera tenor Im Hyung-ju—who maintained a close relationship with the deceased and referred to him as “uncle” during his lifetime—is scheduled to perform the memorial song “Ave Maria.”
The late Choi Bul-am passed away around 10 p.m. on the 29th while undergoing inpatient treatment at a hospital in Gangseo-gu, Seoul. He had undergone surgery for a herniated disc last March and was undergoing rehabilitation, but it is reported that his health recently deteriorated, leading to his passing.
At the funeral hall set up at Seoul Asan Hospital, mourners included actresses Kim Hye-ja, Go Doo-shim, Yoon Yeo-jeong, Na Moon-hee, and Kim Hye-soo, as well as Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Choi Hwi-young, former Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Yoo In-chun, former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon, former People Power Party Emergency Response Committee Chairman Kim Jong-in, People Power Party Representative Na Kyung-won, Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun, Booyoung Group Chairman Lee Joong-geun, Asan Social Welfare Foundation Chairman Chung Mong-joon, and baseball player Park Chan-ho.
The late actress was also posthumously awarded the Gold Crown Order of Cultural Merit on the 30th of last month in recognition of her contributions to the development of culture and the arts.
Having begun his acting career in 1959 with the play *Hamlet*, the late actor made his television debut in 1967 and went on to share stories of life and offer comfort across a wide range of mediums, including theater, TV dramas, films, and educational programs. In *Chief of Detectives*, he portrayed Detective Park Young-han, depicting a character who was both principled and compassionate, while in *Country Diary*, he played Chairman Kim of Yangchon-ri—the village elder—offering comfort and sharing wisdom. Although he portrayed a wide range of characters over the years, the image of the late actor that remains in the public’s heart is that of a “warm-hearted elder.” He was like a father or grandfather to many, and like a neighborhood elder whom one would always want to visit and talk to.