'Your 70s are the best — give it your all for 10 more years': Late Choi Bool-am's warm words to Lee Hong-ryeol

Actor and comedian Lee Hong-ryeol has shared memories of the late actor Choi Bool-am.

Lee took to his Instagram account recently to pay tribute, writing, "Chairman Choi Bool-am, a great star has set," and recalled a conversation the two had shared not long ago.

"As I paid my respects at the funeral, I found myself thinking back to a conversation I had with Chairman Choi Bool-am not long before," Lee wrote. "'Lee, how old are you now?' 'I'm 70.' 'Your 70s are the best. Give it your all for the next 10 years.' Yes, Chairman. I will spend the next 10 years giving my all for the sake of sharing."

Lee also recalled that Choi had served as honorary patron when Lee first began donating to ChildFund Korea in 1986. "In 1998, he appointed me as a goodwill ambassador and set me on the path of giving," Lee wrote.

Lee added that while Choi had portrayed a warm, devoted father figure on screen, the role he played at ChildFund Korea was on an entirely different level. "For more than 40 years as honorary patron, he showed a ceaseless, genuine and heartfelt commitment to the futures of children in need," Lee wrote.

"At ChildFund Korea, he was someone whose very presence lit up the room," Lee wrote. "No one could ever replace him."

In a follow-up post, Lee said his 28-year association with ChildFund Korea as a goodwill ambassador had brought him far more than he deserved. "I will take his words — 'Give it your all for the next 10 years' — to heart, and as long as my health allows, I will take good care of myself and throw myself even more into the work of giving," he wrote.

The funeral procession for the late actor Choi Bool-am, whose real name was Choi Young-han, stops at the ChildFund Korea headquarters in Mugyo-dong, Seoul, on Monday, in accordance with the wishes he expressed in life, as staff members bid him a final farewell. [Yonhap]

Beloved by the public as the nation's father figure, Choi underwent surgery for a herniated disc last March and had difficulty moving afterward. Despite his efforts at rehabilitation, his health deteriorated sharply, and he died Thursday.

In recognition of his contributions to the growth of Korean television drama, the government posthumously awarded him the Gold Crown Order of Cultural Merit on Friday, the day after his death.

For three days, figures from the arts, politics and business came to the funeral hall at Asan Medical Center to pay their respects.

A funeral Mass celebrated by Cardinal Yeom Su-jeong at Yeouido Cathedral in Seoul was held Monday, attended by family members, fellow actors, parishioners and members of the public, amid tears.

Pop-opera tenor Lim Hyung-joo, who called Choi his "uncle by marriage" and shared a close bond with him, sang "Ave Maria" as a funeral hymn to bid the actor a final farewell.

yul@heraldcorp.com