Government Posthumously Awards Gold Crown Order of Cultural Merit to Late Choi Bulam: "67 Years as a National Actor"

The government posthumously awarded the Order of Cultural Merit (Gold Crown, Class 1) to the late actor Choi Bul-am (pictured), who died on the 29th at the age of 87.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Minister Choi Hwi-young visited the deceased's wake on the 30th on behalf of the government to pay his respects and presented the medal to the bereaved family. The Order of Cultural Merit is awarded to people whose outstanding contributions to the development of culture and the arts have helped advance the nation's culture and development.

The actor made his debut in the 1959 play "Hamlet" and earned widespread affection as a "national actor" over a 67-year career spanning theater, television dramas and films.

In "Chief Inspector," considered the origin of Korean-style investigative dramas, he played Chief Park Young-han for 18 years. In "Country Diaries," the longest-running Korean drama, he portrayed Mr. Kim of Yangchon-ri for 22 years, helping lead the growth of Korean television drama. Across a wide range of works, he portrayed an ordinary, compassionate Korean father and remained close to the public for many years.

He was also beloved as the host of educational and cultural programs. From 2011, he hosted "A Korean Table" for 14 years, sharing with viewers foods from across the country and the stories of life behind them.

Outside the stage and screen, he worked to make a positive impact in communities across society. From 1985, he served as national chair of the supporters' association for the Green Umbrella Children's Foundation, championing support for children in Korea and abroad. As chair of Zero Camp, he also helped young people outside the school system become self-reliant and adapt to society through arts and cultural education.

In 2014, he received the Order of Cultural Merit (Silver Crown) in recognition of his contributions to the development of popular culture and the arts.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.