Lee Soon Jae’s final years and relentless passion for acting have deeply moved viewers after emotional new details about his health struggles were revealed on television.
The late veteran actor’s story was revisited during the May 12 broadcast of KBS2’s Celebrity Soldier’s Secret, where actresses Park So Dam and Park Hae Mi appeared as special guests to reflect on their memories with Lee Soon Jae.
Park So Dam, who previously worked alongside Lee Soon Jae in the 2020 play Henri Grandpa and Me, became emotional from the beginning of the program.
“Even though it was a long time ago, just thinking about him makes me tear up. My goal today is not to cry,” she confessed.
However, once Lee Soon Jae’s voice appeared in the broadcast footage, the actress visibly struggled to hold back tears.
“Hearing teacher’s voice already feels dangerous. I almost want to ask someone to help me,” she said emotionally.
Meanwhile, Park Hae Mi — who built a close bond with Lee Soon Jae through the legendary sitcom High Kick! — introduced herself as his “forever daughter-in-law” and promised to share stories about the beloved actor.
The program revisited Lee Soon Jae’s extraordinary career, including his breakthrough years in the 1960s drama Detective Notebook, where he reportedly played criminals 33 different times, even portraying shocking villain roles early in his career.
A graduate of Seoul National University’s philosophy department, Lee Soon Jae began pursuing acting after being deeply inspired by the film adaptation of Hamlet. Despite financial struggles, he reportedly continued acting for nearly 20 years without pay, while his wife supported the family by running a snack restaurant.
Known throughout the industry for his legendary memory, Lee Soon Jae famously memorized not only his own lines but also those of fellow actors.
Park Hae Mi recalled that during stage performances of King Lear, the actor flawlessly delivered over two hours of dialogue without making a single mistake.
However, his health gradually deteriorated in later years.
During filming for the drama Dog Knows Everything — the project that finally earned him his first-ever KBS Grand Prize — Lee Soon Jae reportedly struggled with severe vision and hearing problems following cataract surgery. Even while wearing hearing aids, he continued memorizing scripts by listening to his manager read lines aloud.
Medical experts on the show explained that Lee Soon Jae suffered from multiple overlapping conditions commonly categorized as “elderly syndrome,” including sarcopenia, hearing loss, cataracts and pneumonia.
Doctor Lee Nak Jun explained: “Elderly patients often develop several illnesses consecutively, and many eventually pass away from pneumonia.”
One of the most heartbreaking revelations involved Lee Soon Jae practicing theater lines repeatedly from his hospital bed while suffering from delirium symptoms.
The program revealed footage showing the actor continuously reciting scripts day and night despite being hospitalized.
Doctors noted that delirium often causes confusion, aggression or abnormal behavior due to weakened frontal lobe function, making Lee Soon Jae’s unwavering dedication to acting even more astonishing.
According to the broadcast, the actor continued expressing only one final wish: “The only thing I still want to do is act.”
Park So Dam also recalled Lee Soon Jae frequently saying he hoped to “die on stage.”
She emotionally shared: “Both Lee Soon Jae and Shin Goo always told us that simply spending days together at the theater made them happy.”
The actress added that seeing the footage inspired her to live and work harder herself.
Lee Soon Jae passed away in November 2025 and was laid to rest surrounded by countless grieving junior actors and colleagues from across the Korean entertainment industry.
Sources: Daum | 마이데일리
You must be logged in to post a comment.