Veteran Korean actor Choi Bul-am, long celebrated as the country's "national father" for his warm, dependable screen presence, has died at the age of 86. Broadcasting industry sources said he died at around 10 p.m. on October 29 at a hospital in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, where he had been receiving treatment as his health declined.
Choi had stepped away from active work after undergoing surgery for a herniated disc last year, which left him with limited mobility. His condition reportedly worsened in recent months before his death. The supplied reports do not describe the funeral arrangements or the family's plans, so those details remain unconfirmed.
Born in Incheon, Choi was born Choi Yeong-han. He graduated from Seoul Jungang High School and studied theatre and film at Seorabeol Arts University and Hanyang University. He made his stage debut in 1959 with the play Hamlet, performed by the Experimental Theatre Company, and in 1965 he joined the National Theatre Company as a member, beginning his full-time acting career. The stage training he received in those years shaped the restrained, grounded style that later defined his television work.
He entered television in 1967, when he was selected as an actor by what was then Seoul Central Broadcasting, now KBS. He became a household name through a string of roles on MBC, most notably as Detective Squad chief Park Yeong-han in the long-running police drama Susa Banjang. He also played Chairman Kim in the rural family drama Jeonwon Diary, and Captain Park in Geudae Geurigo Na. In his forties he portrayed former president Syngman Rhee in the historical dramas The First Republic and The Second Republic, a role that drew on the gravity he had built across decades of work.
Choi was also active on the big screen, and his film work ran alongside his television roles across several generations of Korean viewers. His catchphrase "Pahaha" became a lasting memory for fans, and it is the sound many remember most when they recall him. Reports on his death have centered on the sense of warmth he brought to the screen, rather than on any single role, and the outpouring of tributes reflects how his characters became part of ordinary family life in Korean homes.
Coverage of his death from several outlets, including Chosun Ilbo, Munhwa Ilbo and Korea Daily, has treated his passing as a major cultural moment, with the headline designation "national father" repeated across reports. Those outlets also recounted that his stage name, Bul-am, was taken after the loss of his father, a detail that colored how he approached the paternal roles for which he became known.