I will become an actor who is not ashamed before the teacher who is honest before a work, warm before people, and never forgets to stay humble before acting until the end.
5:30 a.m. on the 27th. At the funeral service for the late veteran actor Lee Soon-jae held at the funeral hall of Asan Medical Center in Songpa District, Seoul, actor Ha Ji-won said this. Junior actors each read eulogies filled with gratitude for the deceased. Tears were swallowed in many corners.
The eulogies were delivered by Ha Ji-won and Kim Young-chul. Ha said, The teacher was an actor who represented Korea, adding, A true artist who never forgot humility until the end and never stopped questioning oneself, and to me, the greatest mentor who showed through actions and attitude what it means to be an actor. She bowed her head and said, I will steadily put into practice in my works and life the heart and posture I learned from the teacher.
Kim Young-chul said, How good it would be if this morning were a scene from a drama, and added, It would be nice if, at the sound of "okay, cut," the teacher would dust off and stand up and say, "Everyone worked hard. Today was good." He recalled, Before showing us the path of acting, the teacher was someone who taught us how to live as a person.
Actor Jung Bo-seok, who served as the master of ceremonies for the funeral, honored the deceased, saying, A national actor who pioneered the history of acting in the broadcast culture world, and, If you are an actor, there is no one who did not receive grace under the teacher's umbrella.
On the deceased's final journey that day, former Minister of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Yoo In-chon, as well as actors Yoo Dong-geun, Choi Soo-jong, and Jung Jun-ha, longtime colleagues, and students whom the deceased taught in life, were present together. The 150-seat funeral hall was filled, and after 91 flowers were laid to match the deceased's age, the memorial continued with a moment of silence.
The procession did not stop by KBS in Yeouido, Seoul, where a separate memorial space was prepared, and headed to Eden Paradise in Icheon, the burial site.
Lee Soon-jae died at dawn on the 25th at 91. After debuting on the theater stage in 1956, he walked the path of acting for nearly 70 years. The government, honoring the deceased's contributions, posthumously awarded the Order of Cultural Merit, Geumgwan, the highest honor in the field of culture and arts.