[HanCinema's News] Lee Byung-hun's Adoptive Father Dies
By William Schwartz | Published on
On December 9th Kim Woo-choong died at the age of eighty two years old. The former chairman of the Daewoo Group had been a major influence on South Korea economically, particular through the IMF Crisis.
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Many lawmakers have been present for his funeral arrangements, and President Moon Jae-in himself has also sent condolence wreaths. But one unexpected mourner has been Lee Byung-hun, the adoptive son of the late chairman.
For the most part Lee Byung-hun has distanced himself from the funeral proceedings. His agency has called the matter a private one when asked for commentary. However, much of Lee Byung-hun's life has felt important influence from Chairman Kim. At the earlier portions of Lee Byung-hun's career, Chairman Kim expressed an interest in the young actor. This stemmed largely from Lee Byung-hun's similarity to two late sons of his who had died in car accidents.
Chairman Kim's wife purportedly started sending Lee Byung-hun food to eat when he was off on long location shoots. The relationship progressed to the point that Lee Byung-hun regarded Chairman Kim and his wife as adoptive parents. In 2015 Lee Byung-hun was caught up in a scandal wherein two aspiring actresses attempted to blackmail him over lewd statements made at a club. Lee Byung-hun ended up seeking the older man's counsel, and was instructed to treat his wife better.
Written by William Schwartz
Staff writer. Has been writing articles for HanCinema since 2012, having lived in South Korea from 2011 to 2021. He is currently located in the Portland metropolitan area. William Schwartz can be contacted via william@hancinema.net, and is open to requests for content in future articles.