ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Entertainment devider Celebrities devider Funeral for late Korean actor Lee Soon-jae held

Funeral for late Korean actor Lee Soon-jae held

Published Nov 27, 2025 10:19 am

The funeral for the late Korean actor Lee Soon-jae was held on Nov. 27, attended by family, friends and colleagues in the entertainment industry. 

Lee Soon-jae, who was also a former politician, passed away on Nov. 25 at age 91. He was known for the comedy series “High Kick Through the Roof.” 

The ceremony was held at the Asan Medical Center Seoul funeral hall. 

Among the stars who attended the funeral were Ha Ji-won, Jo Bo-seok, Jung Joon-ho, Park Sang-won, Choi Soo-jong, Jung Joon-ha, Jung Il-woo, Lee Won-jong, Kim Byung-ok, Lee Moo-saeng, Lee Won-jong, Yoo Dong-geun, Yoo In-chon, Yoo Tae-woong and Won Ki-joon.  

The funeral for Korean actor Lee Soon-jae on Nov. 27 (Screenshot from Starnews Korea video on YouTube)
The funeral for Korean actor Lee Soon-jae on Nov. 27 (Screenshot from Starnews Korea video on YouTube)
The funeral for Korean actor Lee Soon-jae on Nov. 27 (Screenshot from Starnews Korea video on YouTube)
The funeral for Korean actor Lee Soon-jae on Nov. 27 (Screenshot from Starnews Korea video on YouTube)
The funeral for Korean actor Lee Soon-jae on Nov. 27 (Screenshot from Starnews Korea video on YouTube)
The funeral for Korean actor Lee Soon-jae on Nov. 27 (Screenshot from Starnews Korea video on YouTube)
The memorial altar of Korean actor Lee Soon-jae (Screenshot from Starnews Korea video on YouTube)
The memorial altar of Korean actor Lee Soon-jae (Screenshot from Starnews Korea video on YouTube)
The funeral for Korean actor Lee Soon-jae on Nov. 27 (Screenshot from Starnews Korea video on YouTube)
The funeral for Korean actor Lee Soon-jae on Nov. 27 (Screenshot from Starnews Korea video on YouTube)
The funeral for Korean actor Lee Soon-jae on Nov. 27 (Screenshot from Starnews Korea video on YouTube)
The funeral for Korean actor Lee Soon-jae on Nov. 27 (Screenshot from Starnews Korea video on YouTube)
The funeral for Korean actor Lee Soon-jae on Nov. 27 (Screenshot from Starnews Korea video on YouTube)
The funeral for Korean actor Lee Soon-jae on Nov. 27 (Screenshot from Starnews Korea video on YouTube)
The Geumgwan Order of Cultural Merit medal awarded to Lee Soon-jae by the Korean government on Nov. 25 (Screenshot from Starnews Korea video on YouTube)
The Geumgwan Order of Cultural Merit medal awarded to Lee Soon-jae by the Korean government on Nov. 25 (Screenshot from Starnews Korea video on YouTube)

Jo Bo-seok, Lee Soon-jae’s co-star in “High Kick Through the Roof,” presided over the service while Ha Ji-won and Kim Young-chul delivered eulogies. 

Ha Ji-won worked with Lee Soon-jae in the drama “The King 2 Hearts” while Kim Young-chul and Lee Soon-jae starred in “The Princess' Man.” 

In her eulogy, Ha Ji-won said, "He was a teacher I respected and loved. I still can't believe that I have to say goodbye to him here today. I feel like I can still hear his strong voice from somewhere.” 

"His long life as an actor was clearly reflected in his candid conversations about acting. When I was wavering in front of a project, I asked, 'Teacher, why does acting become more difficult the more I do it?' Those words, in his signature calm voice, 'It's difficult even now for me,' were a great comfort to me and a lesson that sustained me for a long time,” she added. 

Lee Soon-jae’s career spanned about 70 years. His other acting credits include "Beethoven Virus," "Princess Lulu," "Dog Knows Everything," "Again My Life," "Money Flower.” 

He was elected to Korea’s National Assembly in 1992 and served until 1996. 

On Nov. 25, the South Korean government posthumously awarded Lee Soon-jae the Geumgwan Order of Cultural Merit, the highest grade, to honor his contributions to the development of Korean popular culture and arts.

The Order of Cultural Merit is awarded to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the development of culture and arts and the national enjoyment of culture.

Lee Soon-jae debuted in 1956 in the play "Beyond the Horizon." 

Minister Choi Hwi-young of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism presented the medal to the bereaved family on behalf of the government.

The burial site for Lee Soon-jae is the Eden Paradise in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province. 
Lee Soon-jae in
Lee Soon-jae in "High Kick Through the Roof" (Screenshot from MBC video)
Lee Soon-jae at the 2024 KBS Drama Awards (Screenshot from KBS video on YouTube)
Lee Soon-jae at the 2024 KBS Drama Awards (Screenshot from KBS video on YouTube)
Lee Soon-jae served as a National Assembly member from 1992 to 1996 (Photo from Korea's National Assembly website)
Lee Soon-jae served as a National Assembly member from 1992 to 1996 (Photo from Korea's National Assembly website)
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.