"I have owed you my whole life, thank you" the late Lee Soon-jae, a teacher and father of an era… rests forever as a star
The national actor Lee Soon-jae died in the early morning of the 25th. He was 91. As rumors about his health had circulated before his death, his passing came as an even greater shock inside and outside the entertainment industry. Not only his juniors but the public also said, "We have lost a teacher of the era," expressing deep condolences.
#. died at 91… final farewell amid condolences from juniors
Born in Hoeryeong, Hamgyeongbuk-do in 1934, Lee Soon-jae was registered as born in 1935 on official records, but over nearly 70 years he worked across theater, drama and film, becoming a "living history" of South Korea's acting world.
In his seventies he starred in the legendary sitcom "High Kick Without Hesitation," and in his nineties he took on the challenge of returning to the theater stage, showing no loss of passion for acting. His final work was the KBS2 drama "Nonsense," which was also his first acting grand prize-winning role in his life.
#. first grand prize in his life… "Acting should be judged as acting"
At the 2024 KBS Drama Awards broadcast in January this year, Lee Soon-jae won his first grand prize 68 years after his debut. At the time, he delivered as always in the role of an "honorary detective" who solves cases with his dog Sophie, and he brought deep resonance as he took the stage with his frail body. In a trembling voice he said, "Having lived a long life, days like this come. Acting should be judged as acting; it should not be judged by popularity or conditions," conveying his meaning.
He also thanked the Gachon University students who believed in him to the end. He choked up, saying, "When students told me, 'Don't worry, do well with the drama,' I cried. I wanted to repay that trust, so I did my best up to today." His heartfelt acceptance speech brought all the juniors on the grand prize stage to their feet and moved viewers.
#. the quotation revisited by "You Quiz on the Block"… "Live with conviction"
At the end of the tvN show "You Quiz on the Block" broadcast on the 26th, the 238th episode in which Lee Soon-jae appeared last year was reaired, and the production team's tribute to the late actor continued. At the time he said, "There is meaning to why each person is born. There must be a reason you were born into this world. Do everything with conviction," offering a lesson.
Even so, his conviction as an "actor" never wavered. "The happiest way to die is to die while performing. I'm not joking; I think that way too," he said, and until the end he calmly summarized his life as an actor by saying, "Acting is my reward."
The "You Quiz" production team honored the late actor by adding the caption, "I have owed you my whole life, teacher. Please rest in peace."
#. the teacher of an era remembered by the public, a fatherlike actor
After Lee Soon-jae's passing, footage of his grand prize win, scenes from "High Kick" and the warm appearance on "Grandpas Over Flowers" have been reexamined one after another as records of his life. The public remembers him as a teacher who embodied the value of life, an elder who opened the way for juniors, and a fatherlike actor loved by the nation.
An actor who dreamed of the stage until the end of his acting life at the top of his field, Lee Soon-jae's works, messages and philosophy will remain assets of Korea's cultural arts and will illuminate juniors and the public for a long time to come.
[Photo] OSEN DB, broadcast screen
[OSEN]