late actor-funeral service

SEOUL, Nov. 2 (Yonhap) -- A funeral service for Choi Bool-am was held Monday, with his family and fellow actors paying their respects to the iconic actor, known for portraying paternal figures in popular television dramas.

Choi, whose real name was Choi Young-han, died Thursday while receiving treatment at a hospital in western Seoul. He was 87.

His longtime wife, Kim Min-ja, also an actor, was seen in tears, following the funeral service held privately at Asan Medical Center in southeastern Seoul.

Kim was accompanied by actor Kim Hye-soo, who had stayed alongside Choi's bereaved family since the first day of the funeral service.

Also attending the service were actors Song Il-kook and Shin Hyun-joon.

A funeral Mass was set to take place at a cathedral in western Seoul, presided over by Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung, former archbishop of Seoul.

Later in the day, a farewell event will take place at the headquarters of the Chorogusan for Children foundation, where Choi had devoted himself to promoting the rights of children and youth for decades, before the late actor is laid to rest at a memorial park in Paju, north of Seoul.

Born in Incheon in 1939, Choi became a household name through his role as detective Park Young-han in MBC's long-running crime drama, "Chief Inspector," and as the village foreman in the rural family drama "Country Diaries," South Korea's longest-running television series.

Tributes have poured in for the beloved actor, who boasts a career of nearly seven decades, with actors, politicians and police officials paying respect.

On Friday, he was posthumously awarded the Geumgwan (Gold Crown) Order of Cultural Merit, South Korea's highest cultural decoration, in recognition of his lifelong contributions to Korean television, film and theater.

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