Choi Bul-am (born Choi Yeong-han), the actor beloved as Inspector Park Yeong-han in "Chief Detective" and Chairman Kim in "Country Diaries," died at around 10 p.m. Korea time on Thursday, Oct. 29. He was 87. He had been in rehabilitation after back surgery last year, and his health reportedly deteriorated sharply.

Choi Bul-am (born Choi Yeong-han), the actor known as the "father of the nation," has died at 87. According to Korean broadcasters on the 30th, Choi died at around 10 p.m. Korea time on Thursday, Oct. 29, while being treated as an inpatient at a hospital in Gangseo District, Seoul. In New York, that was around 9 a.m. on the 29th.

After undergoing surgery for a herniated lumbar disc in March last year, he had difficulty moving around and left KBS 1TV's "Korean Table," which he had hosted for 14 years since 2011. He had worked hard at rehabilitation since then, but his health reportedly worsened sharply.

Inspector Park of 'Chief Detective,' Chairman Kim of 'Country Diaries'

Born in Incheon in 1939, Choi made his stage debut in 1959 in the play "Hamlet." He joined the National Theater Company of Korea in 1965 and moved to television in 1967 as a KBS special-recruit actor. The work that made his name nationwide was MBC's "Chief Detective" (1971–1989). In the series, regarded as the original Korean crime drama and which aired for 18 years, he played Inspector Park Yeong-han, a man with a strong sense of justice.

In MBC's "Country Diaries" (1980–2002), Korea's longest-running drama at 22 years, he became the face of the Korean father as Chairman Kim of Yangchon-ri village. He played opposite Kim Hye-ja as her husband for decades, and many viewers believed the two were married in real life. He also made his presence felt as Syngman Rhee in "The First Republic" and "The Second Republic," and in "Eyes of Dawn," "Age of Heroes" and "Princess Hours."

His trademark was throwing his head back and letting out a big "Pahah~" laugh. In the 1990s, a series of jokes starring him, the "Choi Bul-am Series," became a craze, a sign of how familiar he was across generations. In 2024, he made a special appearance in MBC's "Chief Detective 1958," showing his "eternal chief detective" once again.

From the National Assembly to helping children

In 1992, he served in the 14th National Assembly as a proportional representative of the Unification National Party before returning to acting. He received the Baeksang Arts Awards and Grand Bell Awards for acting, the Order of Civil Merit, Moran Medal (1998) and the Silver Crown Order of Cultural Merit (2014). He also worked to help children as head of the nationwide supporters' association of the Green Umbrella Children's Foundation, and in 2024 he was appointed honorary head of the National Office of Investigation (with the rank of senior superintendent general), the first civilian to hold the post.

He is survived by his wife, actor Kim Min-ja, son Dong-nyeok and daughter Dong-bi. Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.