MBC 'Drama Kingdom' Led by PD Choi Jong-su Passes Away

Direction of 'Susabanjang', 'Saranggwa Yamang', and 'Geudae Geurigo Na'

Choi Jong-su, the PD who led MBC to become a 'drama kingdom' in the 1980s and 1990s, has passed away at the age of 76.

According to his family on the 31st, Choi PD collapsed due to a cerebral infarction and passed away around 7 p.m. the previous day while receiving treatment for complications.

He was a broadcaster who directed dramas for over 30 years. He graduated from Sogang University with a degree in Trade and joined MBC in 1973. Starting with the crime investigation drama starring Choi Bul-am, 'Susa Banjang (1980)', he produced works such as 'Hwang Jini (1982)', 'First Love (1985)', 'Sonagi (1986)', 'Love and Ambition (1987)', 'Myeongtae (1993)', and 'Geudae Geurigo Na (1997)'.

His representative works include 'Love and Ambition' and 'Geudae Geurigo Na'. The former was loved by many and was remade by SBS in 2006. The latter's final episode achieved a viewership rating of 66.9%.

He served as CEO of MBC Production in 2001 and taught students as an adjunct professor at Sungkyunkwan University the following year. In 2010, he directed the drama 'Sikgaek' based on Heo Young-man's comic at SBS. His last work was the MBC drama 'Kim Su-ro (2010)'. He collapsed from a cerebral infarction during filming and had to put down the megaphone.

The funeral parlor is set up in VIP Room 1 of the Yeongan Room at Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital in Pyeongchon, Gyeonggi Province. The funeral procession will be held at 6:30 a.m. on the 2nd, and the burial site is the Catholic Memorial Park in Yongin, under the Archdiocese of Seoul.