Insooni to Be 1st Korean to Revisit Carnegie Hall
By Han Sang-hee
Staff Reporter
Singer Insooni will be the first Korean to perform at Carnegie Hall twice, and also for two consecutive days.
Yonhap News Agency reported that the 52-year-old singer was preparing for her second concert at the famous venue slated for Feb. 4 and 5. Her last show at the concert hall was in 1999.
This particular performance will be special as she is inviting 100 war veterans that fought in the Korean War (1950-53) and also U.N. ambassadors from the countries that sent troops to Korea during the war.
``I call the war veterans my fathers. I would like to tell them to brush off the burden of having a child living somewhere in Korea,'' Insooni said during a press conference in New Jersey, Tuesday.
It was Insooni's idea to invite the war veterans, and she mentioned her sorrowful experience in New Orleans when she found gravestones of young soldiers who died in combat during the Korean War.
Insooni herself has never met her father, who was a soldier who fought the war. He left her mother and herself when she was an infant, and the singer said that she learned to understand him and others like him, as she grew older.
``Love can happen without reason, even on battlefields. I have never seen my father, but if he is going through a miserable time thinking of his child he never saw, I want to save him from his burden,'' she said.
Famous for her strong vocals and stage presence, Insooni is considered a ``living legend'' when it comes to female singers. She may be old, but she still boasts a flawless figure, plus her confidence and powerful voice add to her reputation as one of the best singers in Korea.
``Being remembered as a legend is not easy, but it is a title given to those approved and appreciated by everyone,'' she told The Korea Times during an interview last year.
Nevertheless, the singer, who celebrated her 30th anniversary last year, added that she was quite nervous to stand on the famous venue's stage again.
``We are going through difficult times but I will do my best to offer you a wonderful evening. I am confident,'' she said.