A top star and rare college-educated actor who dominated the silver screen in the 1970s and 80s
Lost a 10 billion won fortune to bankruptcy during the IMF financial crisis; rebuilt from rock bottom by bouncing through 27 different jobs in the US

A lifetime of giving spanning 57 years, despite his current status as a basic livelihood security recipient and a senior citizen living alone in a public rental apartment
Launching the talk show A Fragrant Life with singer Jin Tae-ryung to support Bucheon’s 'Hyang gine Free Soup Kitchen'

◆ A Star Who Once Ruled the Silver Screen Steps Down from the Stage to Hold the Hands of His Neighbors
On a scorching summer day, the familiar melodies of trot music echoed across the courtyard of a nursing home in Seoul. The venue, hosted by a volunteer organization, was filled with the joyful clapping and laughter of senior citizens. Amidst this space, a white-haired man quietly walked in. With a bright smile, he firmly held the wrinkled hand of an elderly resident, gently kneeling in front of a wheelchair to meet their eyes with a warm gaze. Many at the scene recognized his face instantly. It was actor Han Ji-il (79), who dominated the Korean film industry and filled the silver screen in the 1970s and 1980s.

Today, instead of standing under the glamorous spotlight of the stage, he stays by the side of the marginalized. Having lived as a dashing protagonist in movies past, he has now become a true companion on the grand stage of life, warmly brightening the weary days of others.

Actor Han Ji-il still retained the dignity and grace of his past days as a "star." His sensible fashion sense, remnant of his model days, and his uniquely relaxed demeanor stood out. Sporting stylish glasses, accessories, and well-fitting jeans, the number "80" did not seem to pose any barrier to him.

The calendar on his smartphone was packed to the brim without a single blank space. From visiting nursing homes, orphanages, North Korean defector families, and facilities for the disabled, to participating in suicide prevention campaigns and senior model events, his schedule was diverse enough to make him wish he could clone himself.

"I am so deeply grateful for this busyness. The mere fact that someone still needs me gives me plenty of reason to live. Especially when many junior artists trust and follow me, I gain my greatest life energy."

◆ The Glorious Prime, Grand Bell Award Honors, and the Onset of Life’s Raging Storm
Han Ji-il was once a major star who received immense love from the public. Graduating from the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication at Kyung Hee University, he was known as a highly educated "college-graduate actor"—a rarity at the time—and dominated the era, holding titles for both the ultimate handsome face and the ultimate physique. After stepping into the entertainment industry as an advertising model in 1970, he began his full-fledged acting career as the lead in the film Wind, Clouds. Since then, he collaborated with the greatest actors of his time in numerous masterpieces that left a mark on Korean film history, including The Policeman, The Moving Maidens, Gilsoddeum, and Aje Aje Bara Aje.

His acting skills received critical acclaim both domestically and internationally. Beginning with the Best New Actor award at the Grand Bell Awards for the film The Policeman in 1978, he swept the Best Actor award at the Asian Film Festival for Muldooridong in 1979. He went on to deliver a passionate performance in Director Im Kwon-taek’s Gilsoddeum, which won the Getz Peace Award at the Chicago International Film Festival in 1986, and starred as the male lead in Adada, which won the Best Actress award at the Montreal World Film Festival in 1988. In Aje Aje Bara Aje—the masterpiece that brought actor Kang Soo-yeon the Best Actress award at the Moscow International Film Festival in 1989—he delivered an overwhelming performance, earning the Grand Bell Award for Best Supporting Actor.

However, as the saying goes, "good things are often accompanied by bad." A massive storm was waiting behind his glamorous life. Entering the 1990s, he thrived as a businessman, becoming a multi-millionaire with assets worth over 10 billion won through film production, housing, and real estate investments. However, he took a direct hit from the 1997 IMF financial crisis that shook South Korea. The excessive loans he had taken out instantly returned as a boomerang, and he lost his entire fortune in the blink of an eye, including a hotel in Pyeongtaek and a five-story building in Daejeon. Facing bankruptcy and the simultaneous painful dissolution of his family, he eventually had to board a flight to the United States alone.

Life in America was a continuous, brutal struggle for survival. Putting down all his past glory, he spared no physical labor, drifting through a total of 27 different occupations: car salesman, cosmetics sales representative, restaurant dishwasher, window blind cleaner, tree cutter, 15-passenger van driver, agricultural produce barker, jewelry salesman, supermarket manager, and caregiver for elderly dementia patients.

"Several times a day, I would rush to car washes and restaurant kitchens to clean and drive. But strangely enough, it wasn't hard at all. Because having work given to me was clear proof that I was still alive."

◆ 56 Years of Unstoppable Giving… "Though I Have No Material Wealth, I Am Rich with People"
Even through this turbulent and weary trajectory of life, the one thing he never let go of was "volunteering." His altruistic life began with Red Cross volunteer club activities during his high school days and has continued for 56 years. Starting in December 1971, when he spent his own money to open a one-day charity cafe to help neighbors in need, he always thought of others before himself.

During his prime years, he visited nursing homes across the country five to six times every year to personally deliver charcoal briquettes and cabbages for kimchi-making. He prepared 70th birthday feast tables multiple times for lonely elderly individuals who had no one to rely on. The number of seniors who spent a joyful day watching KBS's Gayo Stage live or riding a Han River cruise ship upon his personal invitation reached around 150.

This spirit of sharing remained unchanged even during his life abroad in the United States and Vietnam. If he earned $2,000 a month, he donated half of it—$1,000—to local marginalized communities, and while staying in Vietnam, he steadily delivered school supplies to children in orphanages. His explanation is that no matter how destitute and lonely his own situation was, he simply could not stop helping others. This volunteering spirit stemmed from the living lessons of his mother, who always carefully prepared two lunchboxes during his school years for a poor friend who couldn't afford to bring one.

Recently, under the weight of time and the aftermath of hard labor, he was diagnosed with lumbar and cervical disc herniation, leaving his mobility impaired. Although severe pain has forced him to rely on a cane, his steps still head toward free soup kitchens in Tapgol Park, Wongaksa Temple, Yeongdeungpo, and Bucheon. On days when it is difficult even to stand, he sits on the floor to hand out meals to the elderly. His appearance—sweating as he works while always addressing seniors younger than himself with utmost respect—brings deep emotion.

Over the years, to honor his remarkable good deeds, the government and civil organizations tried to present him with numerous awards, including the 'National Recommendation Government Award,' but he repeatedly declined them. Instead, he credited his junior colleagues who quietly sweat in the field. The number of cultural and artistic figures who have received various sharing and social service awards through Han Ji-il’s recommendation has already surpassed 100. He smiled brightly, saying, "I have no assets, but because I am surrounded by good people, I am truly a rich man."

◆ Documenting Memories with a Single Smartphone… A Cultural Networker Transformed into a YouTuber
Recently, another precious daily routine has come to sustain Han Ji-il’s life: running his personal YouTube channel, Han Ji-il TV. Currently boasting around 20,000 subscribers, this channel serves as a valuable archive that delivers updates on senior and junior film industry colleagues from the 1960s to the 80s who are gradually fading from public memory, recording their histories.

Leveraging his extensive network, numerous stars of yesteryear—including Kim Hee-ra, Lee Jung-gil, Ahn Sung-ki, Noh Joo-hyun, Han In-soo, Im Hyuk, Eom Yoo-shin, Jang Mi-hwa, Moon Sung-keun, Park Il-nam, Kim Ha-rim, Song Ki-youn, Cha Do-gyun, Yim Hee-sook, Kim Chung, Johnny Lee, Jo Choon, and Lee Kye-in—face the public through his camera. He personally visits stars who are still actively working, such as Nam Jin, Seol Woon-do, and Jo Hang-jo, as well as veteran entertainers whose faces are familiar but whose names have become hazy, to ask after their well-being.

Instead of expensive equipment, he roams the field holding only his smartphone, shooting and editing short videos himself. These videos serve as an atmospheric book of memories for old fans and as the sole window of communication with the world for veteran entertainers. In particular, the heartbreaking obituaries of immigrant celebrities who passed away lonely abroad, or the passings of past stars like Yoo Jang-hyun, Shin Il-ryong, and Choi Ji-hee, were always brought to light through his efforts to raise public awareness. In essence, he is taking charge of recording the history of veterans, a task someone bound to do.

"They are truly precious people who built Korean popular culture back in the day. It is such a waste for their lives to be buried just because they stopped their activities. Someone must call their names and remember them. A single line of welcoming comments from viewers on my videos is the greatest driving force that keeps me alive."

◆ Stepping Up Once More for Bucheon's 'Hyang gine Free Soup Kitchen'—The Prelude to a Great Second Act
Currently, the official metrics of Han Ji-il's life might look somewhat lonely. This is because his current legal status is a basic livelihood security recipient designated by the government, and a senior citizen living alone in an approximately 36-square-meter (11-pyeong) public rental apartment in Balsan-dong, Gangseo-gu, Seoul. It is an incredibly modest space for a former big star and film producer who once managed 10 billion won in assets. However, his heart is richer than anyone else's.

Recently, the 78-year-old veteran actor embarked on another great challenge. He stepped up to help Director Im Seong-taek of 'Hyang gine Free Soup Kitchen,' who has quietly prepared meals for marginalized neighbors for 27 years near Songnae Station in Bucheon-si, Gyeonggi-do. Upon learning about Director Im's story of maintaining the soup kitchen through years of financial hardship, Han Ji-il resolved to unsparingly pour in his public recognition and influence.

As a concrete action, he will soon officially introduce a new talk show program, Han Ji-il and Jin Tae-ryung's Fragrant Life, through Bucheon Broadcasting. Co-hosted with singer Jin Tae-ryung, who receives great love from the public for her outstanding vocal skills, this broadcast will be crafted as a high-quality program that shines a light on warm-hearted figures in our society and shares the true value of life.

Notably, this broadcast appearance is conducted completely free of performance fees or commercial interests. All proceeds generated through the program will be donated entirely to the operational funds of Bucheon's 'Hyang gine Free Soup Kitchen' and for meal support for seniors living alone. He participated in the program's production out of a pure and altruistic desire to treat marginalized neighbors to a warm meal.

Late in the evening after a long conversation with him, a message notification buzzed on the smartphone. Inside the text message carefully sent by actor Han Ji-il, his lifelong philosophy of life was perfectly embedded:

"With the time I have left in life, I will live while repaying the world, never forgetting a heart of gratitude."
He may no longer be the protagonist bathed in the spotlight under glamorous illumination. However, his current appearance—choosing to lower himself and wiping away the tears of others in the darkest places—is more beautiful and dazzling than any role he ever played on screen. Actor Han Ji-il says he will not stop volunteering, sharing, and meeting people until his very last movable moment. The fragrant second act of his life is sending a warm resonance through our society at this very moment.