'The Nation’s Father' Choi Bool-am Dies at 87, Leaving Behind 14 Years on 'Korean Food Table'

A towering figure who remained close to the public brings a 67-year acting career to a close

Actor Choi Bool-am (birth name Choi Young-han), known as “the nation’s father” for sharing in South Korea’s joys and sorrows, died on the 29th at the age of 87. Tributes have poured in online and from across society for the late actor, a living witness to the history of Korean broadcasting.

Lim Hyung-joo, a popera tenor and chairman of the Yongsan Cultural Foundation, paid tribute on the 30th in a social media post. “I sincerely thank him for being a warm father to so many people,” he wrote, expressing his deep sorrow. Long close to the couple Choi Bool-am and Kim Min-ja, Lim recently spoke of visiting the actor in the hospital and recalled his warm words of encouragement.

The public, too, is sharing its grief while honoring the actor’s major contributions. Choi Bool-am left an indelible mark as Chief Park Young-han in MBC’s Chief Inspector (1971–1989), the pioneering Korean police drama, and as Chairman Kim of Yangchon-ri in MBC’s Country Diaries (1980–2002), the country’s longest-running drama. Online users paid tribute, writing, “Chairman Kim, who carried an era on his shoulders, I hope you rest in peace,” and “May the everlasting Chief Inspector rest in peace.”

Many also expressed how much they would miss Korean Food Table, the KBS 1TV program he hosted for 14 years, beginning in 2011. His narration, delivered as he traveled across the country with an unassuming, down-to-earth manner, brought comfort to many. Viewers lamented, “It breaks my heart that we can no longer hear the voice we heard every week.” Following the recent deaths of fellow beloved actors Lee Soon-jae and Ahn Sung-ki, the news also prompted sighs that “an era is coming to an end.”

Choi died at around 10 p.m. on the 29th while receiving inpatient treatment at a hospital in Seoul’s Gangseo District. After a herniated disc operation in March 2025, his mobility worsened, and he stepped down from Korean Food Table. He focused on rehabilitation, but his health was recently confirmed to have deteriorated sharply.

From the theater stage to television, a living legend of Korean popular culture

Born in Incheon in 1939, Choi Bool-am made his debut in the 1959 play Hamlet. For more than half a century, he helped shape Korean popular culture, working across television, film and theater.

A look at the major milestones of his career:

• 1939: Born in Dong-gu, Incheon (now Jemulpo-gu, Incheon); officially registered as born in 1940

• 1958: Graduated from Seoul Central High School

• 1959: Made his theater debut in Hamlet

• 1965: Joined the National Theater Company of Korea

• 1967: Made his television debut as a sixth-round special-recruitment actor at Seoul Central Broadcasting (now KBS); appeared in the drama Prince Suyang

• 1969: Moved to MBC; appeared in the drama Frog Husband; won Best Actor in the theater category at the 5th Baeksang Arts Awards for Change of Season

• 1970: Married fellow actor Kim Min-ja

• 1971–1989: Starred as Chief Park Young-han in MBC’s Chief Inspector

• 1974: Won Best Actor in the television category at the 10th Baeksang Arts Awards for the drama One Hundred Years

• 1977: Won the Grand Prize at the MBC Entertainment Awards (now the MBC Drama Awards) for the dramas You and Chief Inspector

• 1979: Won Best Actor at the 18th Grand Bell Awards for the film Run, Man-seok, Run

• 1980–2002: Played Chairman Kim of Yangchon-ri in MBC’s rural drama Country Diaries

• 1992–1996: Elected to the 14th National Assembly as a proportional-representation lawmaker and served in the legislature

• 1998: Awarded the Order of Civil Merit, Magnolia Medal

• 2011: Began hosting KBS 1TV’s Korean Food Table

• 2014: Awarded the Order of Cultural Merit, Eungwan (Silver Crown), at the Korean Popular Culture and Arts Awards

• 2021: Appointed honorary superintendent general of public security by the National Police Agency to mark the 50th anniversary of Chief Inspector

• April 2024: Made a special appearance in the MBC drama Chief Inspector 1958

• April 2025: Stepped down from KBS 1TV’s Korean Food Table after 14 years

• October 29, 2026: Died at the age of 87