Actor Shin Goo visited the funeral hall for the late actor Lee Soon-jae, who predeceased him, and the friendship between the two veteran actors has moved many people.
Shin Goo visited Lee Soon-jae's wake set up in room 30 of the funeral hall at Asan Medical Center in Pungnap-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 26th. He attended the wake with junior actor Jo Dal-hwan, who had appeared with him in the play "Waiting for Godot," to see the deceased off on his final journey.
Earlier, Shin Goo mentioned Lee Soon-jae in a video released in August on Jo Dal-hwan's personal YouTube channel "Jo Life," expressing deep emotion. He had suffered health problems while appearing in the play "The Last Session" in March 2022 and dropped out of the production, later being diagnosed with renal failure and receiving a pacemaker implant. In a YouTube video, Jo Dal-hwan said, "Teacher Shin Goo saw that the much-older teacher Lee Soon-jae was unwell and had many physical concerns not only about 'Waiting for Godot' but also about whether he could perform well."
In the same video, Shin Goo said, "I want to keep a promise I made to the play's producer, so I'm exercising now. But I haven't recovered quickly. I don't have confidence that I can do the play. If so, we have to decide in early February to prepare the production," expressing concern. Yet he added, "I feel like my walking is gradually getting better," showing determination about the play.
In the end, Shin Goo completed the August run of "Waiting for Godot." Even after his wife passed away during the run, he returned to the stage after the funeral, pouring his passion into the production. Shin Goo said, "When I performed 'Salsjagi Opseoye' in Gwangju, my mother also passed away. I still performed then. It's a promise to the audience. You can't break that. But (even my wife) ended up like this. I guess it's my fate," he said with a bitter smile, adding to the poignancy.
Lee Soon-jae, too, had been meeting audiences with the play "Waiting for Godot" until he stopped activities last October because of worsening health. The parallel paths of the veteran actors suggested their unending thirst and desire for the stage and acting.
Lee Soon-jae, who appeared as a guest on the tvN variety show You Quiz on the Block in April last year, had also been concerned about Shin Goo's health at the time. In response to Yoo Jae-seok's remark that he heard Shin Goo cried over his health deterioration, Lee said, "I was a bit worried. He shook it off and got up quickly," showing relief. He added, "I appeared on Yoo Jae-seok's talk program after a long time, and I saw you on it. You did well and looked cool. These days you must be busy because of 'Waiting for Godot.' I hope it becomes a huge success and congratulate you," encouraging Shin Goo.
Lee Soon-jae also said, "You said you didn't want it to end, right? It has to end for me to try something too. Fighting, especially take care of your body and health, and I hope Park Geun-hyung gets good results. Our Shin Goo, Park Geun-hyung, fighting," expressing special affection and adding, "Having performed the same works many times together, they rely on each other. I think they're precious people."
Additionally, Lee Soon-jae, Shin Goo, and Park Geun-hyung had a close relationship, appearing together with actors Baek Il-seob and Kim Yong-geon in the tvN variety series "Grandpas Over Flowers." Before Shin Goo, Park Geun-hyung and Baek Il-seob visited the wake on the 25th, and Kim Yong-geon also visited the wake on the 26th to see the deceased off on his final journey. The twilight of these veteran actors, whose friendship and passion for acting are inseparable, is moving many people.
Lee Soon-jae passed away on the 25th at the age of 91. The funeral procession will be held in the early morning of the 27th, and the funeral will be at Eden Paradise in Icheon. In addition, a condolence space for the general public was set up at the KBS annex in Yeouido, Seoul, to honor the deceased who communicated with many through acting.
[Photo] Joint reporters' group, YouTube source, OSEN DB.
[OSEN]