On the morning of the 27th, a funeral service for Lee Soon-jae was held at Seoul Asan Medical Center in Songpa-gu, Seoul. The ceremony was attended by family members and fellow entertainers who gathered to pay their respects.
Actor Jung Bo-seog, who worked with the deceased on the show 'High Kick Through the Roof,' led the service, while actors Ha Ji-won and Kim Young-chul delivered eulogies. Ha Ji-won shared a connection with Lee through the drama 'The King 2 Hearts,' and Kim Young-chul was a junior colleague from TBC's talent pool and co-starred with Lee in 'Princess's Man.'
In her eulogy, Ha Ji-won tearfully expressed disbelief at saying goodbye to her respected teacher. She recalled the comforting words Lee shared during challenging times in her acting career, "Even I still find it difficult," which provided her with great solace. She vowed to remember and practice the attitudes she learned from him in her work and life.
Kim Young-chul expressed his sorrow, wishing it were all a scene from a drama, hoping for Lee's characteristic smile and words of approval. He remembered Lee as someone who not only paved the way in acting but also in life, noting his unwavering dignity and courtesy as a quiet lesson to many. He concluded by wishing Lee eternal rest and expressing his profound respect and gratitude.
Debuting in 1956 with the play 'Beyond the Horizon,'(지평선 넘어) Lee became a fixture in Korean broadcasting history as a first-generation actor with TBC in 1965. His career spanned over 140 major works, including 'I Want to Be Human,'(나도 인간이 되련다), 'The Three Kim Era,'(삼김시대) 'Men of the Bath House,'(목욕탕집 남자들) 'The Rustic Period,'(야인시대) 'Land,'(토지) and 'Mom's Dead Upset.'(엄마가 뿔났다)
Approaching his nineties, Lee delivered profound performances in plays like 'Salut D’Amour,'(장수상회) 'Grandpa Henri and Me,'(앙리할아버지와 나) and 'King Lear,'(리어왕) where he flawlessly executed 200 minutes of dialogue, earning critical acclaim. In 2023, he ventured into directing with Chekhov's 'The Seagull.'(갈매기)
Until last year, he continued to act in plays such as 'Waiting for Waiting for Godot'(고도를 기다리며를 기다리며) and the drama 'Dog Knows Everything,' demonstrating his passion for acting until the end. He was named the oldest recipient of the Grand Prize at the KBS Drama Awards last year.
Beyond acting, Lee also served as a member of the 14th National Assembly (Democratic Liberal Party), having been elected in the 1992 general election for Seoul Jungnang-gap.