Comedy pioneer Jeon Yoo-seong dies at 76
Comedian Jeon Yoo-sung speaks at the showcase for “Jeon Yoo-sung’s Show Show Show” in 2019. Yonhap
Veteran South Korean comedian Jeon Yoo-seong, widely known as the "godfather of comedy" for his wit and warm personality, died Thursday at the age of 76.
Jeon died at around 9:05 p.m. after his pulmonary pneumothorax condition worsened, the Korea Broadcasting Comedy Association said.
Born in 1949, Jeon studied theater and directing at Sorabol College of Arts and began his career in 1968 as a specially recruited comedy writer at broadcaster TBC.
He later turned to performing, rising to fame through hit programs such as "Humor No. 1" and "Show Video Jockey," and became a central figure in the golden age of Korean broadcast comedy in the 1970s and 1980s.
In the late 1990s, he played a pioneering role as the creator of KBS' "Gag Concert," a landmark open comedy program that went on to enjoy more than two decades of popularity.
He is survived by his daughter. His funeral will be held under the auspices of the association, with a mourning altar set up at Asan Medical Center in Seoul.