South Korea’s “TV dad” dies at 91

Lee Soon-jae, one of South Korea’s most popular actors, died on Tuesday at the age of 91, his agency announced.

With a career spanning more than 70 years in film, television and stage, Lee was affectionately known as “the nation’s TV dad” for his many wise, older roles.

These include two of his most famous performances: playing a strict father on the 1991 soap opera What’s Up, and a goofy but lovable grandpa on the popular sitcom High Kick! Broadcast from 2006 to 2012.

News of his death prompted an outpouring of tributes from young celebrities including K-pop stars, who expressed his warmth and kindness to President Lee Jae-myung.

“From theater to film and television, he brought us laughter, emotion, comfort and courage,” the president wrote on Facebook.

Lee continued to act until last year, when he won the KBS Drama Awards for his lead role in the comedy “Dogs Know Everything.” He is the oldest Korean actor ever to receive this honor.

“You get old when you sit down and expect to be waited on,” he told fellow veteran actors on the travel show “Grandpas Over Flowers.”

The 2013 show, which followed veteran stars on a grueling overseas trip, became a cultural phenomenon.

Born in Hoeryeong-gun (now a county in North Korea) in 1934, Lee was four years old when his family moved south to Seoul.

(When Korea was liberated from Japanese rule in 1945, he was working in his grandparents’ store in the capital’s Namdaemun Market.

Lee studied philosophy at the prestigious Seoul National University, but later dabbled in theater and eventually television and film. He said he was inspired by the performance after watching Sir Laurence Olivier play the title role in Hamlet.

Lee appeared in approximately 140 television shows during his career and continued to perform on stage until October 2024, when he withdrew from a performance of the play Waiting for Godot due to illness. In December, he appeared again at the awards show.

He also briefly dabbled in politics. In 1992, he was elected as a member of the conservative Democratic Liberal Party, but after his four-year term ended, he did not run again.

Lee’s prolific career meant he remained a household name for decades, equally familiar to younger audiences, and at a time when Korean entertainment was one of the country’s biggest exports.

His fame has even spread to the internet, featuring his scenes in High Kick! In recent years, it has resurfaced on TikTok in the form of memes.

Actor Yoo Yeon-seok, who studied under Lee Soon-jae, said he is “a model of acting skills” and Lee Soon-jae’s High Kick! Co-star Jung Bo-seok describes Lee as not only a mentor in the industry, but “a true mentor in my life.”

He wrote on Instagram: “Teacher, thank you very much for everything you have done. I have learned a lot from you and felt a lot – not just about acting, but also about life and the attitude of an actor.”

Additional reporting by Rachel Lee