Korean actor Choi Bool-am dies at 87; funeral to be held as Green Umbrella Children's Foundation burial
Choi Bool-am, who starred in MBC's 'Investigation Chief' and 'Country Diary,' died on October 29, 2026 at 10:30 p.m. at age 87.
Korean actor Choi Bool-am died on October 29, 2026 at 10:30 p.m., his side announced. He was 87. The funeral will be held as a Green Umbrella Children's Foundation burial, according to cinemacafe.net.
The chairman of the foundation is due to serve as head of the funeral committee. Former prime ministers Lee Soo-sung and Lee Nak-yon are among those expected to join the committee. The full list of committee members and their roles will be announced once final decisions are made.
Choi was born on June 15, 1940 in Incheon. He began his acting career in 1959 with the stage play 'Hamlet,' and moved into television after working with the National Theater.
He played the squad leader in MBC's 'Investigation Chief,' which began in 1971, and the chairman Kim in 'Country Diary,' which aired for 22 years from 1980. He also presented stories of ordinary people and their food around the country on KBS's 'Korean Dining Table.'
From the 1980s he took part in child welfare work and served as national fundraising chairman of the Green Umbrella Children's Foundation. In 1994 he donated his advertising fee to his alma mater, Incheon Sinheung Elementary School, funding new desks and chairs. He also served as chairman of Zero Camp, which has run arts education and year-end performances for juvenile inmates at the Gimcheon Juvenile Prison since 2013.
Quick answers
When did Choi Bool-am die?
He died on October 29, 2026 at 10:30 p.m. at the age of 87.
What kind of funeral will be held?
The funeral will be held as a Green Umbrella Children's Foundation burial, with the foundation's chairman due to head the funeral committee.