South Korean actor Choi Bul-am dies at 87 — Korea Herald

South Korean actor Choi Bul-am, who gained nationwide popularity for his roles in the television series “Chief Inspector” and “Country Diaries,” has died at the age of 87. The Korea Herald reports.

Choi began his theatre career in 1959 but gained broader recognition after moving to television in 1967. His first television role was an elderly general in a historical drama, after which he was offered roles as older characters for a long time.

Inspector Park

Choi Bul-am’s breakthrough came with MBC’s crime series “Chief Inspector,” which aired weekly from 1971 to 1989 and consisted of 880 episodes. He played Inspector Park, the head of a detective team who persistently investigated cases until criminals were arrested. Many episodes were based on real criminal cases, and those involved were often portrayed as people bypassed by the rapid economic changes of the 1970s and 1980s.

In 2024, the prequel “Chief Detective 1958” was released, in which Lee Je-hoon played the young Inspector Park. Choi Bul-am appeared in the series in cameo roles in the opening and final episodes, playing the detective at an advanced age.

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A father figure for television viewers

Another defining series for the actor was “Country Diaries,” set in a small farming village. The project was broadcast from 1980 to 2002, comprised 1,088 episodes, and remains the longest television drama in South Korean history.

In the series, Choi played a strict but compassionate head of the family. His on-screen partner was Kim Hye-ja, who played his character’s wife; viewers often perceived the actors as a married couple off screen as well. In the early 1990s, Choi Bul-am also became the subject of a popular series of jokes that spread by word of mouth and were published in separate collections.

In the 2010s, the actor largely stepped away from regular roles in fiction projects. Until April last year, he hosted the documentary series “Korean Cuisine and Dining,” which has aired since 2011 and tells about home cooking and the lives of residents of rural towns. Choi left the program to recover after back surgery.