President Lee sends condolences to Lee Soon-jae's death...They enhanced the dignity of culture and art
Nov 25, 2025
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On the morning of the 25th, President Lee announced a message on his official SNS, titled `Wishing Lee Soon-jae, the great star of the Korean culture and arts world, to rest in peace.'
"We express our deepest condolences on the death of Korean actor Lee Soon-jae."President Lee once said, `The teacher who has devoted his life to acting and enhanced the dignity of Korean culture and arts has provided us with laughter, emotion, comfort, and courage in theater, film, and broadcastingLike the saying "Acting is a life partner that contains the story of a living human being", for the teacher, acting must have been a channel to share the story of our lives with the world and convey the essence of human life.
The teacher's philosophy about acting, his attitude as an actor, and his personality as a true adult became a model for many juniors and further resonated deeply with all of us"The works and messages left by the teacher will be passed down to Korea's precious cultural heritage. I will remember you as a beloved artist and national actor of all generations for a long time" he said.
In addition "The teacher's expression and voice are still vivid. Please rest in peace, sir."
Meanwhile, actor Lee Soon-jae, who was the oldest active actor and had been active until recently, passed away on the morning of the 25th. He was 91.
Even at an old age, Lee Soon-jae has been actively engaged in acting by appearing in broadcasts, movies, and plays, and until recently, he has burned his passion for acting by appearing in plays 'Waiting for Godot' and KBS2's Gaesori'.
Lee Soon-jae, a graduate of Seoul National University's philosophy department, became an actor after watching the film 'Hamlet' starring British actor Olivier, and debuted in 1956 through the play 'Hamlet'. Later, in 1965, he became an exclusive actor for the first TBC and lived and breathed with a Korean broadcaster.
Lee Soon-jae later left behind a variety of masterpieces. He showed his face in more than 140 works, including 'Dongui Bogam', 'See and See again', 'Sam-Kim-era', 'Bath House Men', 'Wildlife', 'Land', and 'Mother's Angry'. In addition, the masterpiece 'What's Love?', which earned the modifier 'Bal's Father', was so popular that it recorded 65% of the viewership, and it appeared as a symbol of a patriarchal father, drawing sympathy. He also opened the heyday of historical dramas as representative actors in historical dramas such as 'Heojun', 'Sangdo', and 'Lee San.
Lee Soon-jae was also active in sitcoms. In his 70s, he created comical images in sitcoms 'High Kick' without hesitation' and 'High Kick' through the roof' and was supported by elementary school fans as he was not afraid of the character modifier 'Yadong Soonjae'. On top of that, the entertainment program 「Grandpas Over Flowers」 earned the nickname 「Straightforward Soonjae」 through the series.
Lee Soon-jae has been active on the stage until recently. Since 2016, he has been on stage appearing in 'Longevity Society', 'Grandfather Henry and I', 'King Lear', and in 2023, he directed and performed Chekhov's play 'Seagull'. In addition, he continued to appear in the play 'Waiting for Godot' and the drama 'Geosori', and became the oldest winner of the KBS Acting Awards last year.
▶The following is the full text of President Lee Jae-myung's SNS condolence message.
'I wish Lee Soon-jae, the great star of the Korean culture and arts world, to rest in peace'
I express my deepest condolences for the death of national actor Lee Soon-jae.
The teacher, who has devoted his life to acting and has enhanced the dignity of Korean culture and art, has given us laughter, emotion, comfort, and courage across plays, movies, and broadcasts.
Like the saying "Acting is a life partner that contains the story of a living human being", for the teacher, I think acting was a channel to share the story of our lives with the world and convey the essence of human life.
The teacher's philosophy of acting, his attitude as an actor, and his personality as a true adult became a model for many juniors and further resonated deeply with all of us.
The works and messages left by the teacher will be delivered as a valuable cultural heritage in Korea. I will remember the teacher who was a beloved artist and national actor across all generations for a long time.
The teacher's expression and voice are still vivid.
Sir, please rest in peace.
star77@sportschosun.com
