The “National Grandpa” Lee Soon-jae, who was active as South Korea’s “oldest working actor,” passed away in the early hours of the 25th at the noble age of 91. In October last year, news emerged of his health worsening, which led to the cancellation of a stage performance. Two months later, on December 31st, he appeared at the “2024 KBS Drama Awards,” where he received the KBS Grand Prize for his role in "The Voice of Dog," which became his final public appearance.
At that time, Lee Soon-jae took to the stage supported by others to accept the award and said in his speech: “To have lived this long and to have a day like this is unbelievable.” With teary eyes, he said, “I want to tell everyone watching right now, that in this lifetime, I have really received a lot of care and help from everyone.”
While studying philosophy at Seoul National University, Lee Soon-jae fell in love with watching movies, inspiring him to pursue a career as an actor. He made his stage debut in 1956, and in 1965 became part of the first cohort of exclusive actors at Tongyang Broadcasting Company (TBC). Afterward, he was active across TV dramas, movies, and stage plays, and even participated in the reality show "Grandpas Over Flowers."
He also briefly entered politics; in 1992 he was elected as a member of the 14th National Assembly representing the Democratic Liberal Party, and later served as deputy spokesperson and as an executive officer for the Korea-Japan Parliamentary Union within the party. In addition, he continued to serve as an honorary professor at Gachon University’s Department of Theatre Arts until recently, devoted to nurturing young talent.
News source: Apple News Network