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Lee Soon-jae Dies at 91 as South Korea Confers Highest Cultural Honor

Mourners gathered at Asan Medical Center for services, with a burial at Eden Paradise in Icheon.

Overview

  • Lee Soon-jae’s family confirmed his death on Nov. 25 at age 91, and no medical cause has been disclosed.
  • The government posthumously awarded him the Geumgwan Order of Cultural Merit, delivered to his family by Culture Minister Chae Hwi-young.
  • Industry figures including Yu In-chon, Jang Dong-gun, Park In-hwan, Kim Young-ok, Yoo Jae-suk and others paid respects at the funeral hall in Seoul.
  • Over nearly seven decades, he appeared in more than 140 works across theater, television and film, with late-career highlights such as High Kick!, Grandpas Over Flowers and a 2021 turn as King Lear.
  • He withdrew from roles due to health issues in October last year, became the oldest honoree at the 2024 KBS Drama Awards, and previously served a term in the National Assembly after a 1992 election.