Who is Nampo-dong who dies of chronic disease? Business failure → Life with liver cancer

By Jeeyoung, Jo

Nov 23, 2025

Who is Nampo-dong who dies of chronic disease? Business failure → Life with liver cancer



Senior actor Nam Po-dong (real name Kim Kwang-il), who gained popularity for his comical licorice acting in the 70s and 90s, became a star in the sky. He was 81.

According to Sports Chosun coverage, Nampo-dong had been battling a chronic disease and closed his eyes at 5:10 a.m. on the 23rd with the last seeing-off of his two daughters.

The late Nampodong, born on Nov. 6, 1944, became a comic acting master in movies from the 1970s to the '90s. Nampodong, who debuted in 1965 with 'I can also date', was loved by the public for playing the role of licorice in various works, and has since been active in hundreds of works, including 'Whale Hunt', 'Tucops', 'Clementine', 'Impressionism', and 'Dr. Oh's People'. His last film was the movie 'Impressionism' released in 2022.




The deceased, who had been inactive for a while, once again drew attention by confessing to his life through broadcasting. In 2020, he appeared on SBS Plus "Do you eat?" and last year's MBN "Special World" and YouTube channel "Recent Olympics" to reveal his difficult life.

Who is Nampo-dong who dies of chronic disease? Business failure → Life with liver cancer
The deceased was sentenced to end-stage liver cancer in 2009 and overcame the crisis by undergoing 15 hours of major surgery with the donation of his youngest brother's liver. Since then, he has suffered from losing his property due to a business failure and staying in a motel for more than 10 years. On top of that, it was shocking to learn that he was found drunk in a vehicle in the parking lot of Gongseongun-dong, Changnyeong-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do last year and rescued by police who were dispatched after receiving a report.

At that time, the deceased appeared in 'Recent Olympics' and said that he would have died if he had been found 10 minutes late. I think people reported it because they thought it was on fire because of the smoke"Why did I do that, now that I think about it. With this good world, don't worry. He expressed his will to live by saying, "I will die in Nampo-dong..." but he passed away in the morning of the 23rd.




Meanwhile, the mortuary of the deceased was set up in Uijeongbu Eulji University Hospital Funeral Home (Pyeongcheon Hall). The coffin is at noon on the 25th, and the burial site is Seoul Seunghwawon.








soulhn1220@sportschosun.com