Choi Bul-am, who practiced love for children throughout his life... “True service is being together in the rain” (comprehensive)

Appointed as Chairman of Green Umbrella National Sponsorship in 1985... Contribution to the spread of child sponsorship culture in the entertainment industry

Leading the way in establishing volunteer services and overseas support groups in remote areas of Africa... Support for out-of-school youth

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Jeong A-ran = "True service is not holding up an umbrella to someone who is getting rained on, but getting in the rain together."

This is the philosophy of sharing that actor Choi Bul-am, who has been by the side of children all his life and led volunteer and sponsorship activities, emphasized during his lifetime.

According to Green Umbrella on the 30th, the deceased took the lead in supporting children in difficult situations and promoting the value of sharing by traveling around child welfare sites at home and abroad for 41 years after being appointed as the chairman of the National Sponsorship Association in 1985.

The relationship between the deceased and Green Umbrella began with a relationship with a child actor during the filming of the drama 'Country Diary' in 1981. Afterwards, he started sponsoring group partnerships with the cast of the dramas 'Country Diary' and 'Ordinary People' and contributed to spreading the child sponsorship culture in the entertainment industry.

The deceased paid special attention to supporting children not only domestically but also overseas.

Despite his old age, he personally visited remote areas of Africa, including Ethiopia in 2007, Uganda in 2014, and Kenya in 2015, and held children suffering from hunger and disease in his arms, raising awareness of the need for support for children overseas.

In particular, in the 1990s, when there was a shortage of child welfare resources in Korea, he visited the Americas and Europe and worked hard to form local overseas support groups.

Green Umbrella explained, “Based on the deceased’s passionate activities, we were able to establish a system of 25 overseas sponsorship associations in 8 countries.”

We also carried out activities for at-risk youth and out-of-school youth.

In 2012, we established 'Zero Camp', an incorporated association, to support their recovery of self-esteem and healthy return to society. By preparing and performing a musical performance with juvenile prisoners, they delivered the message that empathy and support are more important than punishment.

The deceased devoted his life to informing society of the need for children's welfare and to attracting citizens' interest and participation.

At the 2015 ceremony commemorating the 30th anniversary of his appointment as National Sponsor President, he said, “I can never imagine being happy alone, and I have to see children as another ‘me.’”

He said, “True service is not holding up an umbrella to someone who is being rained on, but getting in the rain together,” and added, “What people need most is people.”

Green Umbrella Chairman Hwang Young-gi said, "The deceased was a 'national father' who reflected the joys and sorrows of our lives through his acting and thought of the underprivileged first with a warm heart. He always said on broadcasts that it is the role of adults to give children hope, and he did not let go of his love for children until the end."

He continued, "As the president of the Green Umbrella National Supporters' Association, I deeply mourn the will and activities of the deceased, who took the lead and dedicated himself to helping our society pay attention to and care about the lives and happiness of children, and I will forever remember his noble spirit."

The deceased's funeral will be held at the Green Umbrella Children's Foundation.

The funeral was set up at Asan Medical Center in Seoul, and a separate memorial space was set up on the first floor of the Green Umbrella Children's Foundation Building in Mugyo-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul.

The memorial space will be open until noon on the 2nd of next month. The hours for mourners to visit are from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and flowers can also be laid.

Green Umbrella also opened an online memorial hall on its website. Messages from mourners continue to flow at the memorial hall, which contains stories about the deceased's sharing activities.

The funeral will be held at 7:40 a.m. on the 2nd of next month, and he is scheduled to stop by the Green Umbrella Foundation headquarters before heading to the funeral. It is known that the deceased conveyed to those around him his wish to visit the foundation after his death.