Park Geun-hyung Mourns Lee Soon-jae: "It Hurts Because I Didn't Get to See Him Before His Passing"

Park Geun-hyung looked back on his friendship with the late Lee Soon-jae.

On the Dec. 28 episode of SBS' "My Little Old Boy," the veteran actor appeared as a special MC.

The show's "Mom-vengers" panel showered him with praise, telling him, "You're so dashing―you only get more charismatic with age."

He quipped with a grin, "Guess I'd better live a long, long time," offering his thanks.

Seo Jang-hoon then brought up how, while filming a travel variety series, Park called his wife every time they reached a landmark―earning him a reputation as a full-on romantic.

"My wife wasn't well at the time―she'd just had surgery," Park explained. "I was worried, so I kept calling, and that's how I ended up with that 'romantic' image," he said, adding with a smile, "As I get older, I call less often," drawing laughs.

Park also spoke about Lee Soon-jae, who recently passed away. "We grew closer through theater," he said. "His health declined so suddenly that I couldn't even see him before he left us. It breaks my heart."

He remembered Lee's words to him: "From now on, you should look after the theater world," Park shared, expressing how deeply he misses his mentor. 

(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Hyo-jung)