Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Choi Hwi-young visited actor Choi Bul-am (86), who is hospitalized for treatment, to wish him a speedy recovery. Minister Choi said on the 13th via his social networking service (SNS), “I paid a respectful call on our ‘nation's father,’ Mr. Choi Bul-am, and conveyed my greetings.” It was confirmed that the hospital visit took place on the 11th together with Mo Eun-young, head of the Korean Film Archive. Also present was actor Kim Min-ja, Choi Bul-am's wife, who had been keeping vigil in the hospital room. Provided by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
An update has been shared on actor Choi Bul-am (86), the ‘nation's father’, who is undergoing rehabilitation after herniated disk surgery.
On the 13th, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Choi Hwi-young said via his social networking service (SNS) that he visited Choi Bul-am's hospital room on the 11th with Mo Eun-young, director of the Korean Film Archive, to pay his respects. Also present was actor Kim Min-ja, Choi Bul-am's wife, who had been by his bedside.
In his SNS post, Minister Choi said that Choi Bul-am shared a range of stories, from worldly affairs to art and religion, and offered him warm encouragement. In particular, he described the warm atmosphere of the visit, saying, “I felt very reassured because he welcomed me with his signature ‘paha’ laugh.”
They also spoke about meeting after his discharge. When Choi suggested, “Let's have a drink once I'm discharged before long,” the minister said, “Without hesitation, I asked for makgeolli,” looking forward to their reunion outside the hospital. He added that when he brought up the story of ‘Eunseong’, a pub once run by Choi's mother that served as a hideout for poor artists in the past, Choi beamed with a bright smile.
A special gift was also delivered during the visit. Mo Eun-young, head of the Korean Film Archive, presented a commemorative Blu-ray of the 1980 film ‘The Last Witness’, which starred Choi Bul-am. The film was originally produced at 158 minutes, but a significant portion was cut due to censorship and it was released in a hastily edited version, making it an ill-fated film. The archive later restored the original to a 154-minute version in 2003 and released it on Blu-ray in 2017. Minister Choi said the film was meaningful because it earned Choi Bul-am the Best Actor award at the 1st Korean Film Critics Association Awards, and that Choi was very pleased to receive the Blu-ray.
Meanwhile, after undergoing back surgery last year, Choi Bul-am experienced reduced mobility and stepped down from the KBS 1 current affairs and culture program ‘Korean Food Table’, which he had steadily hosted for 14 years. He is currently hospitalized and focusing on rehabilitation.
