Veteran South Korean actor Choi Bool-am, widely known as the ‘national father’ for decades of warm, paternal screen roles, has died at the age of 86. Broadcasting industry sources said he passed away at around 10 p.m. on October 29 while receiving treatment at a hospital in Gangseo-gu, Seoul.
Choi had been largely inactive since undergoing spinal surgery for a herniated disc last year. After the operation his mobility was limited, and his health reportedly worsened in recent months, which led him to step back from public activity. His real name was Choi Young-han, and the stage name he adopted became the one by which generations of viewers knew him.
Choi was born in Incheon and graduated from Seoul Central High School before studying theater and film at Seorabeol Arts College and Hanyang University. He began his career on stage in 1959, debuting in ‘Hamlet’ with the experimental theater company Silhum Theater. In 1965 he joined the National Theater Company of Korea as a member, marking the start of his full-time acting career. Two years later, in 1967, he was selected as a television actor by Seoul Central Broadcasting, the forerunner of KBS, and his presence on Korean screens grew from there.
His best-known television roles include Detective Park Young-han, the team leader of the MBC police procedural ‘Investigation Team Leader’, and Kim, the village chairman in the long-running family drama ‘Jeonwon Diary’. He also played Captain Park in ‘That Person and I’. In his forties he portrayed former president Syngman Rhee in the historical dramas ‘The First Republic’ and ‘The Second Republic’, a role that showed a more imposing side of an actor usually associated with warmth and familiarity.
Choi was also active in film, and his career spanned both television and cinema over several decades. His familiar, good-humored persona earned him a lasting place in the affection of viewers across generations. His death drew wide attention on Korean news portals, where he was remembered for the playful ‘Pah-ha~’ laugh that became part of his public image.
Several major Korean outlets reported the death within hours, describing him as a beloved figure whose performances defined a generation of domestic television. Reports differed slightly on his age, with some describing him as 87 under Korean age counting, while the primary source reports 86. The coverage underscored how closely his name had become associated with the idea of a dependable father figure on Korean television, a reputation that has outlasted the dramas in which he first earned it.