Nation Mourns as Veteran Actor Lee Soon-jae Passes Away After Nearly 70 Years on Stage and Screen

By Jeeyoung, Jo

Nov 25, 2025

Nation Mourns as Veteran Actor Lee Soon-jae Passes Away After Nearly 70 Years on Stage and Screen



Lee Soon-jae, the oldest active actor and eternal actor in Korea, has become a star in the sky. He was 91.

The bereaved family reported the death of Lee Soon-jae in the early morning of the 25th. Currently, the agency is preparing a mortuary.

After graduating from the Department of Philosophy at Seoul National University in 1934, the late Lee Soon-jae from Hoeryeong, North Hamgyong Province, debuted in 1956 with the play 'Over the Horizon', and in 1965, he was an exclusive actor for the first TBC and made his face known through more than 100 works.




The deceased, who was loved by the public for nearly 70 years with his intellectual image and charismatic voice when he was young, was also respected by many junior actors as a representative actor aiming for traditional acting theory. In addition, the deceased, who showed perfect self-management as an actor, tireless passion, and an open mind that does not show authority through the tvN entertainment show 「Grandpas Over Flowers」 series aired from 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2018, was considered a model for many, and became a model for them.

Nation Mourns as Veteran Actor Lee Soon-jae Passes Away After Nearly 70 Years on Stage and Screen
When Lee Soon-jae appeared in the play `Waiting for Godot' in October last year, his health deteriorated and he was diagnosed by his doctor that he needed a break and stopped all activities. The deceased, who drew everyone's concerns due to rumors of health abnormalities, attended KBS2 '2024 Acting Awards', which was recorded last year, and was thinner than before, but won the oldest Grand Prize in the history 'Acting Awards' with his unique confident and upright appearance.

The late Lee Soon-jae "There are days like this after living a long time"After the consolidation of the press in 1980, he returned to KBS." The relationship with KBS continued, but there was not much opportunity to appear. Still, I was always preparing for it, saying, "One day, the opportunity will come."Enjoyed the moment of emotion.




He was given this beautiful award, this precious award. A grandmother like Catherine Hepburn of the U.S. won a prize once in her 30s and three times after the age of 60. If we were all, we would all get merit awards, but the United States gives awards even when we are 60 years old. It's not a merit award. "Acting should be evaluated by acting, not by popularity or other conditions," he said.

Finally, Lee Soon-jae was indebted and helped a lot throughout his life to the viewers who came to this place to encourage them and to the viewers who are watching on TV now. Thank you" he also expressed his heartfelt thoughts.





soulhn1220@sportschosun.com