'Chief Detective' cast complete: Choi Bool-am, last of the four, dies at 87

All four leads of MBC's 'Chief Detective' have now passed away

"Chief Detective," the drama series Choi Bool-am considered the defining work of his career [MBC]

"I must miss you all so much that I can't sleep."

Those were the words spoken in the finale of MBC's "Chief Detective 1958," which aired May 18, 2024. White-haired Park Young-han — played by Choi Bool-am — leaned on a cane as he visited the graves of colleagues who had gone before him. Choi laid a flower at each headstone and called out the names one by one: Detective Kim, Detective Jo, Detective Seo, Detective Nam. The roles were those played by Choi's four co-stars in the original series — Kim Sang-soon, Jo Kyung-hwan, Kim Ho-jung and Nam Sung-hoon — all of whom had already died. As the sun dipped low, the old detective raised a salute and, instead of the customary "loyalty," said simply: "Goodbye." Two and a half years on, that single word has become the farewell Choi Bool-am left for his audience.

Choi Bool-am, whose real name was Choi Young-han, died Thursday at around 10 p.m. at a hospital in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, where he had been receiving inpatient care. Choi was 87. Born in 1939 — listed as 1940 in official records — Choi stepped down from KBS 1TV's "Hansik Odyssey," a program Choi had hosted for 14 years, after spinal disc surgery last March left Choi with limited mobility. Choi had since focused on rehabilitation, but his health deteriorated sharply in his final months.

With Choi's death, all four leads of MBC's "Chief Detective" are gone. Viewers remember the quartet as Choi in the role of Chief Inspector Park, Kim Sang-soon as Detective Kim, Jo Kyung-hwan as Detective Jo and Nam Sung-hoon as Detective Nam. Nam, however, joined the cast only after original member Kim Ho-jung — who played Detective Seo — died in 1978. Over the show's 18-year run, Choi was accompanied at various times by all four colleagues: Kim Sang-soon, Jo Kyung-hwan, Kim Ho-jung and Nam Sung-hoon. Each departed in turn, and Choi, the last to remain, followed them 11 years after saying goodbye to Kim Sang-soon.

'Chief Detective': the defining work of Choi Bool-am's life

"Chief Detective" premiered March 6, 1971 and ran for 880 episodes over 18 years, ending Oct. 12, 1989 — making it the defining work of Korean crime drama. Viewership peaked at more than 70 percent. Former senior superintendent Choi Jung-rak, who had personally apprehended more than 870 violent criminals, served as consultant and helped adapt real cases for the screen. The show's signature theme, composed by Yun Young-nam and performed by jazz percussionist Ryu Bok-seong, became the sound that told households across the country the broadcast was about to begin.

The show always put people first. Each episode captured the shadow side of South Korea's industrialization era — poverty and desire spilling into crime — while extending a measure of sympathy even to the perpetrators. In interviews at the time, Choi reflected on the secret of the show's popularity: "Before it was a crime drama, it was a humanist social-commentary drama."

Choi regarded "Chief Detective" as the defining work of his life. In a 2007 essay collection, Choi confessed that even now, hearing the theme music alone makes his heart race. Choi described the show as "the cornerstone that shaped my craft" and the later rural drama "Jeonwon Ilgi" as "the shining wings that lifted me to a higher place." Choi's contribution to the public image of the police was recognized as early as 1972, when Choi was first appointed an honorary police officer; in 2024 Choi was elevated to the rank of honorary senior superintendent — the honorary head of the National Investigation Headquarters.

Chief Inspector Park commanded the screen from the very first episode. The character was written as a seasoned detective in his 50s, yet Choi was only in his early 30s when he took the role in 1971 — playing nearly two decades older than his actual age. The stage craft Choi had honed in theater bridged that gap. Viewers dubbed Choi "Korea's Columbo" for the image: trenchcoat collar turned up, cigarette in hand, scanning a crime scene. Rather than raising his voice, Choi drew confessions out of suspects in a low, measured tone, and even as criminals were sent to court Choi kept one eye on the social forces that had driven them there. The line "The taller the building, the longer the shadow" is still quoted today.

Kim Sang-soon, who played Detective Kim, was the elder statesman at Park's side. Born in 1937, Kim was older than Choi. After building a career as a stage actor and voice actor, Kim made a debut as a third-cohort KBS talent in 1963. The voice trained before a microphone gave Detective Kim a weighty authority. The character combined integrity with a warmth Kim never tried to hide — a practical detective who quietly carried out the chief inspector's orders in the field. After "Chief Detective," Kim went on to take substantial supporting roles in period and contemporary dramas alike, including "Daechunamoo Sarang Geollyeonne," "Sindon" and "Yeon Gaesomun."

Jo Kyung-hwan, who played Detective Jo, was a commanding physical presence on screen. Born in 1945, Jo studied film at Hanyang University and began acting as a first-cohort MBC talent in 1969. Jo became known for the physical force Detective Jo brought to subduing suspects, but the lasting assessment of the work leans toward balance rather than brute strength. The grounding quality Jo brought to scenes — always supporting the actors around him — carried through into later roles: a warm teacher in "Tiger Teacher," and substantial characters in "General Hospital," "Sandglass," "Jewel in the Palace" and "Yi San."

Actor Choi Bool-am [Seoul Metropolitan Government]

Nam Sung-hoon, who played Detective Nam, was the last to join the team, filling the vacancy left by Kim Ho-jung's death. Having made a debut as a TBC talent in 1968, Nam had first made a name as a youthful leading actor known for good looks. Between the seasoned chief inspector and the two senior detectives, Nam brought a sharper, more urban energy to the unit — and from that point the team, whose average age had been climbing, found a new pace. The range Nam showed across "Love and Ambition," "Sandglass" and "Mogyoktangjip Namjadeul" reflected an actor equally at home in melodrama and straight drama.

The first farewell came in August 1978, while the show was still on the air. Kim Ho-jung, who played Detective Seo, collapsed from a cerebral hemorrhage and died. Twenty-four years later, in October 2002, Nam Sung-hoon died at 57. Another decade on, in October 2012, Jo Kyung-hwan died at 67, just two months after being diagnosed with late-stage liver cancer. At the MBC Drama Awards held Dec. 30 of that year, Jo was posthumously awarded a merit prize. The person who walked onstage to accept the trophy was Choi. "Kyung-hwan, it's me," Choi began. "You should be standing here receiving this award, but I don't know where you are." After acknowledging Jo's daughter in the audience, Choi closed with a single word: "Be happy."

On Aug. 25, 2015, Kim Sang-soon died at 78 after battling lung cancer, and with that, all four of Choi's co-stars from the original series were gone. Of the detective unit that had held the screen together for 18 years, only the chief inspector remained.

Even at award ceremonies, Choi never forgot the colleagues who had left before him. Accepting a merit award at the Korea Drama Awards held in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, on Oct. 8, 2022, Choi ended his remarks by calling out to them: "Whenever I receive an award like this, I think of my comrades. I want to dedicate this award to the comrades who are now in heaven. Hey — take this award!"

Young Park Young-han in 1958: the prequel summons the original names

MBC's prequel traveled back to the years before Park became chief inspector. The project, which began development under the working title "Chief Detective 1963," premiered April 19, 2024 as "Chief Detective 1958." Writer Park Jae-beom of "Hot Blooded Priest" served as creator, Kim Young-sin wrote the screenplay, and director Kim Sung-hoon — whose credits include the film "Confidential Assignment" — helmed the production. Set in the waning days of the Liberal Party government, when political thugs roamed the streets in what the show called "an age of savagery," the story follows Detective Park Young-han (played by Lee Je-hoon), the top cattle-theft investigator in Gyeonggi Province, as he transfers to Jongnam Police Station in Seoul and forms a team with three colleagues. At a press preview held the day before the premiere, director Kim explained the premise: "During the years 'Chief Detective' was on the air, Park Young-han felt like a hero who truly existed. So I asked myself — how did that hero come to be? Showing that is what a prequel is for." The finale drew a 10.6 percent nationwide viewership rating, according to Nielsen Korea.

The link between the two eras was written into the names themselves. The original series gave its detective characters names drawn from the real actors playing them. Kim Sang-soon, Jo Kyung-hwan and Nam Sung-hoon all used their own names for their roles, while Kim Ho-jung's character was named Seo Ho-jung. The prequel inherited those names intact. Kim Sang-soon (played by Lee Dong-hwi), Jo Kyung-hwan (played by Choi Woo-sung) and Seo Ho-jung (played by Yun Hyun-su) stood alongside Park Young-han (played by Lee Je-hoon) — restoring the original lineup, including the role of Detective Seo, the character Kim Ho-jung had played before dying in 1978. Nam Sung-hoon's legacy continued through the character of rookie constable Nam Sung-hoon (played by Do Woo) at Jongnam Station.

At the press preview, Lee Je-hoon admitted to being nervous performing as the young Park Young-han in front of Choi during the script read-through. Choi's advice was simple: "I'd like Park Young-han to be full of anger inside." Lee said the goal was not to mimic Choi's appearance or mannerisms but to "inherit the spirit and the heart." Choi's distinctive "pha-ha" laugh found its way into Lee's performance from time to time. Where Choi's Chief Inspector Park was a detective fully formed, Lee's Park Young-han was one still growing — raging at injustice, stumbling, learning. In the finale, Park receives command of Investigation Unit 1 from Chief Inspector Yoo Dae-cheon (played by Choi Deok-moon), marking the birth of "Chief Inspector Park."

The thread connecting both eras ran through Choi himself. The first episode opened with retired detective Park Young-han visiting a grandson — now a detective, played by Lee Je-hoon — at the police station, bringing snacks and a fresh pair of socks. A glance at a photograph on the wall, showing Park with colleagues from his detective days, carries the scene back to 1958. In the finale, the older Park Young-han reunites with actors Lee Gye-in and Song Gyeong-cheol — both frequent villains in the original series — before visiting his colleagues' graves. That scene, once a performance, now stands as a real farewell. At the MBC Drama Awards held Dec. 30, 2024, "Chief Detective 1958" won drama of the year and Choi received a merit award. Lee Je-hoon, accepting the best acting prize on the same stage, named Choi as the single greatest reason for choosing the project, and made a pledge: "I will do my best going forward so as not to bring shame to the path the teacher has shown us."

shee@heraldcorp.com