"Now I'll be going soon too, so we'll meet soon."
The late actor Oh Hyunkyung, who left a significant mark on the history of Korean theater and broadcasting, has been gone for two years. On the deceased's second anniversary today, the poignant promise made in life by the national actor the late Lee Soon-jae, who longed for his longtime colleague who left earlier and has now reunited in heaven, is once again moving the public.
Oh Hyunkyung died on March 1, 2024, at the age of 88. He collapsed suddenly from a cerebral hemorrhage in August 2023 and, after a long battle with illness of about seven months, ultimately passed away, bringing sorrow to many.
Born in Seoul in 1936, the late actor graduated from Yonsei University with a degree in Korean language and literature, and while enrolled he joined the Yonsei Theatre Arts Research Association, beginning his connection with acting. He built solid skills on stage in works such as The Marriage of Figaro, The Wedding at the House of Maeng, and Heo Saengjeon, and in 1961 he was selected as part of KBS's first open recruitment of talents, launching his full-scale media acting career.
Active across the screen in the 1960s with works such as Today the King, The Boarder, Shall I Give It All?, and The Three Servant Brothers, he won great popular affection for his role as Lee Jang-su in the drama TV grandson's art of war, which aired from 1987 to 1993. In 2005, in his 70s, he delivered an outstanding performance as the monk in the MBC historical drama Shindon, proving that age was no barrier to his masterful acting.
The late actor's acting life was not always smooth. There were times when he had to leave the stage temporarily while fighting major illnesses such as esophageal and stomach cancer. However, he made a gallant return to the theater in 2008, and in May 2023, just before collapsing from a cerebral hemorrhage, he appeared on stage as Shakespeare in A Midsummer Night's Dream at his alma mater Yonsei University's open-air theater, proving his enduring passion for acting.
He always had a solid 'actor family' beside him. His wife, the late Yoon So-jung, was respected as a matriarch of the theater world until she predeceased him in 2017 from sepsis, and his daughter Oh Ji-hye is also following the path of an actor. His son-in-law Lee Young-eun is active as a film director.
One reason Oh Hyunkyung's second anniversary feels even more poignant is the absence of his colleague Lee Soon-jae, who died last year on Nov. 25 at the age of 91.
In life, Lee Soon-jae appeared on tvN's You Quiz on the Block in April 2024 and shared deep insights on life, death and acting. At the time, marking his 68th year since debut, Lee Soon-jae said he was bitter as he recalled, "Lee Nak-hoon, Kim Dong-hoon, Kim Seong-ok, Kim Sun-chul, Oh Hyunkyung — all the people who opened the TBC lid are gone first. Now I'm the only one left."
Especially at Oh Hyunkyung's funeral, he offered his last words: "Lee Nak-hoon, Kim Dong-hoon, Kim Seong-ok, Kim Sun-chul are all there, so have a good reunion, and now I'll be going soon too, so we'll meet soon." Lee Soon-jae, who chuckled, "Now you just have to follow me," also said, "I'm old too, so life and death are unpredictable. I say it like a joke, but dying while performing would be the happiest thing for an actor," leaving a weighty, heartfelt sincerity that showed he was an actor to the bone.
The two masters who moved and amused the public throughout their lives on stage and in front of the camera. The brilliant legacies and artistic spirits they left behind still shine in the hearts of the public.<
[Photo] OSEN DB, broadcast capture
[OSEN]