The late Jeon Yu-seong's final moments have been shared again, leaving many people feeling heavy-hearted. His juniors expressed deep respect and longing for him as he never lost his smile even in his final moments.
Earlier, Jeon Yu-seong died at age 76 on Sept. 25 last year from worsening pulmonary disease. But the last recorded interview conducted just three days before his death left a powerful impression. At the time, he said, "I think I was loved for doing things others don't do," and "Others only talk and rarely do, but people enjoyed those new attempts." Those words reflected Jeon Yu-seong's philosophy, which was always concerned with new gags and formats.
He also jokingly self-deprecatingly said, "There are educated comedians and uneducated comedians, but I want to be remembered as an uneducated comedian who pretends to be educated." And a month later at the 2025 Korea Popular Culture and Arts Awards, he was posthumously awarded the Ok-gwan Cultural Medal. On stage, tributes calling him "the father of Korean comedy" and "a master of laughter" followed.
And recently, about eight months after his passing, junior comedians once again remembered Jeon Yu-seong. On the 11th, the YouTube channel Zzanbro released a story about a "Jeon Yu-seong birthday party without Jeon Yu-seong" attended by his juniors.
Kim Dong-ha said, "We still call our teacher 'Mayor,'" and confessed, "The juniors were holding his belongings, and it was joyful but also sad. Many emotions crossed." He recalled, "We even did a train game to liven the mood, and you could feel traces of the teacher everywhere." Shin Dong-yeob also sympathized, saying, "Brother Jeon Yu-seong liked staged situations and acting until the end. He really disliked the obvious."
Above all, what moved the juniors to tears was his final appearance just before death. Kim Dong-ha said, "I visited the teacher right before he passed. He was on a ventilator, and it was so sad."
But Jeon Yu-seong remained a comedian even at that moment. Kim Dong-ha said, "When the nurses said his breathing was getting too fast, the teacher asked, 'Would it be all right if breathing stops?'" conveying that the deceased did not lose his sense of humor until the end. He added, "He also acted. It was sad to think this might be our fate, but it was also really admirable. My feelings were complicated."
Shin Dong-yeob advised the juniors, "Brother Jeon Yu-seong didn't struggle desperately to be funny. He made people laugh naturally, as if breathing," and warned, "You should not become trapped by obsession."
Jeon Yu-seong was a "bone comedian" until his last moment. His juniors still learn comedy from his laughter and philosophy, expressing their admiration and creating a moving atmosphere.
[Photo] 'Broadcast screen, OSEN DB'
[OSEN]