Entertainment · K-Culture & Anime · 2 hrs ago
South Korean actor Choi Bool-am dies aged 87
South Korean actor Choi Bool-am died aged 87 in a hospital in Seoul on October 29 while receiving treatment.
He had become less mobile after surgery for a herniated disc last year and had focused on rehabilitation.
His roles in “Chief Inspector” and “Country Diaries” made him widely known to generations of viewers.
In “Chief Inspector,” which began in 1971, he played police captain Park Young-han.
He also spent years hosting television programs, including “The Korean Table,” which he left after his health problems.
Choi began acting on stage in 1959 and went on to work in television and theatre for more than six decades.
His death marks the loss of a familiar figure in South Korean television, known for his warm, down-to-earth image.
His career was revisited in a two-part MBC documentary released in May, which he did not appear in as he continued rehabilitation.
South Korean actor Choi Bool-am died at age 87, according to reports from South Korea.
He died at about 10 p.m. on October 29 while receiving inpatient treatment at a hospital in Seoul’s Gangseo district.
Choi was best known for starring as a police chief in the long-running drama Chief Inspector and in the rural series Country Diaries.
He had focused on rehabilitation after surgery for a herniated disc the previous year.
His acting career began on stage in 1959 and spanned more than six decades.
- Who
- South Korean actor Choi Bool-am, whose legal name was Choi Young-han.
- What
- He died at age 87.
- When
- About 10 p.m. on October 29, 2026.
- Where
- A hospital in Gangseo district, Seoul, South Korea.
- Why
- The sources do not state the cause of death.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Choi made his acting debut in the play Hamlet with the Experimental Theatre Company.
He began full-time acting as a member of the National Theatre Company of Korea.
He began playing police chief Park Young-han in MBC’s Chief Inspector.
After surgery for a herniated disc, he left the KBS1 program Country Diaries and focused on rehabilitation.
Choi died at about 10 p.m. while receiving inpatient treatment at a hospital in Seoul.
- Age
- 87
- Death
- About 10 p.m. on October 29, 2026
- Location
- Hospital in Gangseo district, Seoul
- Legal name
- Choi Young-han
- Stage debut
- 1959, in Hamlet
- Best-known dramas
- Chief Inspector and Country Diaries