Actor Kim Hye-soo expressed her gratitude to those who mourned the late Choi Bul-am following the conclusion of his funeral.
On November 4, Kim Hye-soo posted a memorial portrait of Choi Bul-am on her social media, writing, "To everyone who saw Choi Bul-am off on his final journey and to all those who mourned him, I sincerely thank you."
The late Choi Bul-am passed away on October 29 at the age of 87 while receiving inpatient treatment at a hospital in Gangseo-gu, Seoul. Upon hearing the sad news, Kim Hye-soo rushed to the funeral hall and remained by his wake throughout all four days.
The relationship between the deceased and Kim Hye-soo began in the 1987 KBS drama "Samogok". In this project, Kim Hye-soo worked alongside the late Choi Bul-am's wife, actor Kim Min-ja, portraying a mother and daughter. Kim Min-ja looked after Kim Hye-soo, who was a teenage rookie actor at the time, and Kim Hye-soo followed Kim Min-ja like a mother. Since then, Kim Hye-soo is known to have maintained a family-like bond with the couple, Kim Min-ja and Choi Bul-am.
In January 2021, Kim Hye-soo appeared on the 10th anniversary special broadcast of "Korean Cuisine and Dining", hosted by Choi Bul-am, where she showed deep trust and affection by sharing that Choi Bul-am and Kim Min-ja were like a father and mother to her.
The late Choi Bul-am was laid to rest on November 2, seen off by family and colleagues. His burial site is Donghwa Gyeongmo Park in Paju, Gyeonggi Province.
<Photo = "Korean Cuisine and Dining", Reporter Baek Seung-cheol>
(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Ji-hye)