The funeral of Mr. Jeon Yoo-seong, known as the ‘godfather of comedy,’ was solemnly held at the KBS Open Hall in Yeouido, Seoul, today (28th).
After the memorial service at Seoul Asan Hospital’s funeral hall, Jeon Yoo-seong’s portrait arrived at KBS around 7:30 am. It passed through a hallway lined with senior and junior comedians and entered the open hall.
When Mr. Lee Hong-ryeol placed the deceased’s portrait on the empty stage with the ‘Gag Concert’ sign, a short sigh was heard from the audience.
During the funeral, hosted by Mr. Park Joon-hyung, comedians such as Um Yong-soo, the couple Shim Jin-hwa and Kim Won-hyo, Song Byung-chul, Park Young-jin, Park Seong-kwang, Hwang Hyun-hee, Kim Min-kyung, and Jo Sae-ho paid tribute to the deceased with a moment of silence.
Mr. Park Joon-hyung said, “This is the last ‘Gag Concert’ stage that our senior, who created our career and livelihood, will step onto,” and pledged, “We will work harder to bring laughter to the people of South Korea in his spirit.”
He then suggested, “Let’s give a big round of applause to our senior with a thankful heart,” and though they were wiping their tears, the attendees clapped for the deceased and shouted, “Thank you, senior,” and “Goodbye, senior.”
Despite the somber atmosphere, a few comedians went on stage, blending tears with laughter.
Mr. Um Yong-soo commented, “Many, including the people here and corporations, helped with this funeral,” and presented his final comedy by listing the names of dozens of companies. He choked up and said, “Farewell, brother.”
Mr. Choi Yang-rak, whose brother-in-law was introduced to his spouse by Jeon Yoo-seong, suggested, “Let’s shout my then-catchphrase ‘Bongiya,’ with me,” leading the participants to join in the chant.
Ms. Paeng Hyeon-sook, Mr. Choi Yang-rak’s wife, could not stop her tears as she mentioned, “Thanks to Mr. Jeon Yoo-seong, I met a wonderful partner, Mr. Choi Yang-rak, and have lived well.”
Senior and junior comedians responded to Mr. Kim Hak-rae, president of the Korean Comedians Association, who proposed, “In this place, let’s let out all the tears we’ve held back for one minute.” As a result, many began to weep loudly.
Later, fellow comedians like Mr. Lee Bong-won and Mr. Nam Hee-seok offered flowers to the deceased. ‘Okdongja’ Mr. Jeong Jong-chul, a star of ‘Gag Concert,’ thanked the deceased by saying, “Thank you for creating ‘Gag Concert’,” after his floral tribute.
Jo Sae-ho, a pupil of the deceased who could not hide his tears throughout the funeral, expressed, “Thank you, teacher.”