"I owe so much"... The late Lee Soon-jae entrusted his final journey to his students and has left his last resonance
The late Lee Soon-jae, a living history of Korean broadcasting and a towering figure in Korea's acting world, died in the early morning of the 25th at the age of 91. The bereavement hall has been set up at Asan Medical Center funeral hall, and it has deepened the sense of poignancy that the students who in life had shown affection, saying "I owe so much," will personally carry the casket.
#. "He received help his whole life and owes so much"... Tears shown at his last awards ceremony
Lee Soon-jae left another deep impression when he won his first grand acting prize at the '2024 KBS Drama Awards' broadcast in January this year. As a symbolic figure who had walked with broadcasting since KBS's early days, it was a moment when he proved the strength of a working actor once again at his advanced age.
At the time, he gave an assured performance in *'Gae-sori'* in which he played an honorary detective who solves cases in partnership with a dog named 'Sophie'. But more than anything, what made many people feel deeply moved was his final "declaration as an actor," holding the microphone to the end despite his extremely weakened body.
Supported onto the stage by juniors Kim Yong-gun and Choi Soo-jong, Lee Soon-jae was handed the trophy directly by the KBS president, who bowed and said, "It is an honor to present this award." To that, Lee Soon-jae said in a trembling voice the following. He then said, "Having lived a long life, days like this also come. Acting should not be judged by popularity. If you do well, you get an award. I believe acting should be judged as acting, not by age or circumstances," showing emotion.
He then mentioned students at Gachon University and tearfully said, "It really hurt when I couldn't attend class because the timing didn't work out, but the students would say, 'Don't worry, do well in the drama.' Those words made me cry. I have received so much help throughout my life. I owe so much," and he bowed his head.
His final acceptance remarks confirmed the assessment of him as "an actor who left after守守守守守守守守守守守守守守守守守守守守守守守守守守守守守守守守"
#. "We will see the teacher off"... The last tribute chosen by his students
In his final years he emphasized to his students the words "strive until the end," and the juniors and students who followed him remembered his life as a "model of an acting life." Perhaps for that reason, the bereaved family said that Lee Soon-jae's casket will be carried by the students he deeply cherished. His final farewell — in which he said in life, "I have received help throughout my life and I owe so much" — will be completed through the hands of his students. One student reportedly told OSEN, "The teacher always said, 'An actor must keep learning throughout life.' It is only natural that we accompany the teacher on his last journey."
As a distinguished professor in the Department of Acting Arts at Gachon University who taught younger generations for 13 years and never let go of the "thread of learning" until the end, the news that his students will carry the casket again evokes the deep bond of "teacher and students."
Meanwhile, the bereavement hall has been set up in room 30 at Asan Medical Center, and condolence visits are possible from 1 p.m. that day. The funeral procession will be at 6:20 a.m. on the 27th, and the burial site is Eden Paradise in Icheon. The chief mourners are listed as his wife, Choi Hee-jung, and his son and daughter.<
[Photo] OSEN DB
[OSEN]