Tributes pour in for iconic actor Choi Bool-am, gov't bestows highest cultural merit award

Tributes are flooding in for the late actor Choi Bool-am, who died at the age of 87 on Thursday. President Lee Jae Myung and industry figures paid tribute to him as a kind-hearted father figure who defined Korean television for nearly seven decades. Posthumously, he was awarded the Geumgwan Order of Cultural Merit, the highest cultural honor from the Korean government, for his significant contributions to the performing arts and public welfare.

President Lee mourned Choi's passing on social media, describing him as the "father figure of our time" whose image will remain in the hearts of the nation for a long time. He remembered Choi's belief that "to become a good actor, one must first become a good human being." Choi, whose real name was Choi Young-han, succumbed to his declining health at around 10:30 p.m. Thursday at a hospital in Seoul's Gangseo District. A memorial altar was set up for him at Asan M.