Kim Woo-bin Sends Floral Tribute to 'Missing Song Hye-hee' Father’s Funeral Parlor: "Hope You Rest in Peace"

Sent Personally Without Manager or Agency's Knowledge
"I Often Saw the Banner, So It Was Sad"

Actor Kim Woo-bin was revealed belatedly to have sent a wreath to the funeral hall of the late Song Gil-yong (71), who died while searching for his missing daughter Song Hye-hee for 25 years.

Song Gil-yong passed away in a traffic accident on the 26th while driving on a road in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. As a recipient of basic living security benefits, he made a living by collecting and selling scrap materials. On that day, he went out to work driving a truck but collided with an oncoming dump truck. He was taken to the hospital in cardiac arrest but ultimately passed away.

Actor Kim Woo-bin [Image source: Provided by AM Entertainment]

The late Song’s funeral hall was set up at Songtan Jeil Funeral Hall in Pyeongtaek. A wreath from actor Kim Woo-bin was placed there, prompting visitors to wonder about the connection between Kim Woo-bin and the deceased.

Regarding this, Kim Woo-bin’s agency AM Entertainment stated, "Kim Woo-bin often saw banners searching for the missing daughter while moving for his schedules and felt a heartache. Upon learning of Song Gil-yong’s obituary through news articles, he personally sent a wreath as a gesture of condolence and to wish him to rest in a better place." They also explained that Kim Woo-bin sent the wreath privately, and even the manager and agency only found out about it after being asked later.

In June 2016, Song Gil-yong, the father of Song Hye-hee, is speaking at the "Long-term Missing Children and Finding Song Hye-hee Campaign" hosted by the National Association of Citizens Searching for Missing and Lost Families.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, Song Gil-yong’s second daughter, Song Hye-hee (then 17 years old), went missing around 10:10 p.m. on February 13, 1999, after getting off at a bus stop near their home in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. Since then, Song Gil-yong gave up his livelihood and searched all over the country for his daughter for 25 years. He hung banners that read "Please find the missing Song Hye-hee!!" in various places and traveled nationwide with his daughter’s photo attached to his truck.

It is known that Song distributed about 2 million flyers containing his daughter’s personal information and put up around 4,000 banners during his lifetime. He even suffered a serious back injury after falling from a ladder while replacing a banner but never stopped searching for his daughter. He devoted his life to finding her, spending 400,000 won out of his 600,000 won basic living subsidy on making banners and flyers.

He used a phone number starting with 016 for a long time, hoping his daughter might call, and all the money he earned selling hotteok from his truck was poured into the search for his daughter. Song’s story was also featured multiple times on broadcasts. He said, "Finding my daughter is my only wish," and "I want to see my daughter’s face at least once before I die," but he ultimately passed away without reuniting with her. After their daughter’s disappearance, Song’s wife suffered from depression and alcohol dependence, enduring a difficult life before passing away in 2006. Song Gil-yong’s funeral procession was held at 7 a.m. on the 29th.