Fellow actors pay tribute to late Lee Soon-jae for 2nd day

SEOUL, Nov. 26 (Yonhap) -- Tributes continued to pour in Wednesday for celebrated actor Lee Soon-jae, who passed away at 91, as colleagues and dignitaries gathered for the second day of mourning to honor his life and legacy.

Former Culture Minister Yoo In-chon, himself an actor, paid his respects at the memorial altar set up at the Seoul Asan Medical Center, reflecting on the acting philosophy the late actor had often shared with him and other younger actors.

"I'm saddened that I can't perform alongside him anymore," he said, remembering Lee as "an actor with a strong sense of purpose" who performed nonstop for three to four hours in the 2021 play "King Lear."

In 2023, while serving as culture minister, Yoo presented Lee with the Theater Arts Award at the 13th Beautiful Artist Award ceremony.

Fellow actors paid tribute to Lee on social media.

Song Seung-heon, who co-starred with Lee in MBC's 2011 drama "My Princess," noted the deceased's "profound performance and warm heart."

Jung Il-woo, who played Lee's grandson in the beloved sitcom "High Kick!" shared several photos with Lee on Instagram.

"It was truly an honor to work with you when I was taking my first steps as an actor," he wrote.

Jin Ji-hee, who played Lee's granddaughter in "High Kick Through the Roof" from the same "High Kick!" franchise, appreciated the opportunity to learn about Lee's "seriousness about acting, responsibility on stage and his attitude toward life in general."

Hwang Jung-eum, who also appeared in the sitcom, described him as a "father figure."

"He was like a warm father to me when I knew nothing about acting," she wrote. "I'm deeply thankful for the unwavering love and memories he gave to many young actors for so long."

The funeral procession is scheduled for Thursday.

jaeyeon.woo@yna.co.kr
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