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Korea's Nat King Cole dies

By Kang Hyun-kyungSinger Choi Hee-jun, who has been called Korea's Nat King Cole for his clear and relaxed voice and unforgettable, timeless songs, has died of natural causes. He was 82. The way the veteran singer bade an eternal farewell to his fans has a parallel to his famous song lyrics ― he's gone “just like clouds roaming slowly in the sky.” His youngest son, Yong-beom, said his father lost consciousness on Friday morning and passed away peacefully hours later. “There was no special message from my father,” the younger Choi said.Choi Hee-jun / YonhapThe older Choi debuted as a singer in 1960 with the song “My Lover is Old Miss.” Old Miss refers to a woman older than the average marriage age but still single. Choi later said he didn't intend to become a singer and he released his first album for fun. His song became an instant hit, making him famous. Choi drew media attention partly because of his academic background. He was a graduate of Seoul National University College of Law. Back in the 1960s, singers with bachelors' degrees were rare. Th

Aug 26, 2018
Korea's Nat King Cole dies

Top comedian Kang's father dies in hospital

Comedian Kang Ho-dong. / YonhapBy Dong Sun-hwaComedian Kang Ho-dong has temporarily suspended public activities after his father died early Friday. Kang's father died at a hospital in Seoul, according to Kang's agency SM C&C. He had reportedly suffered a chronic disease. Kang was told of his father's death while shooting tvN's “New Journey to the West.” He is currently returning home. A private funeral and service will be held with Kang's family and relatives, according to the agency. Kang, a former champion of ssireum, traditional Korean wrestling, features in several popular TV programs.

Aug 10, 2018By Dong Sun-hwa
Top comedian Kang's father dies in hospital

PHOTOS 'Beacon of Korea's progressivism' laid to rest

A mourner touches the monitor featuring late lawmaker Roh Hoe-chan at Severance Hospital in Sinchon, Seoul, Thursday. / YonhapThe funeral portrait of Roh is carried by Kim Young-hoon, a Justice Party director, at Severance Hospital in Seoul, Thursday. / YonhapA funeral service for lawmaker Roh Hoe-chan was held Friday at the National Assembly with thousands of participants, including legislators, family members and supporters, bidding farewell to the iconic, progressive politician.Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang hosted the service for the lawmaker, who jumped to his death earlier this week amid a political funding probe."You were a pathfinder and the symbol of progressive politics,” Moon said in his eulogy. “You did not hesitate to fight against huge authority for justice. As your final message showed, you felt pain over workers' lives and rejoiced at the victory of the socially underprivileged."Although you've stopped here, the values and spirit that you pursued will resolutely continue."Roh, 61, the floor leader of the minor opposition Justice Party, committed suicide Mo

Jul 27, 2018
'Beacon of Korea's progressivism' laid to rest [PHOTOS]

Award-winning novelist Choi In-hun of 'The Square' dies of cancer

Choi In-hun / Korea Times fileBy Jung Da-minAward-winning novelist Choi In-hun, best-known for his works delving into the country’s post-Korean War era and inter-Korean division, died of cancer on Monday. He was 84.Choi died at a hospital in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, northwest of Seoul. He was diagnosed with terminal-stage colorectal cancer four months ago.His funeral will be at Seoul National University Hospital in Jongno, Seoul, on Wednesday. Choi received many prestigious literary awards, including the Dong-in Literary Award (1966), Yi Sang Literary Award (1994), and Park Kyung-ri Literary Award (2011). He was a professor of creative writing at Seoul Institute of the Arts from 1977 to 2001.Choi was born in 1934 in Hoeryong, North Hamgyong Province, in North Korea. His family fled to Wonsan, Gangwon Province, in 1947, after the Soviet army branded his father as “bourgeois.” His family was a victim of a bloody ideological conflict that raged across the Korean Peninsula after the country was liberated from Japanese colonial rule in 1945. Following the outbreak of t

Jul 23, 2018
Award-winning novelist Choi In-hun of 'The Square' dies of cancer

Former Prime Minister Kim Jong-pil dies at age 92

Former Prime Minister Kim Jong-pil, one of South Korea's most influential politicians in the 1980s-90s, has died. JP with former Presidents Kim Young-sam and Kim Dae-jung in 1988 / Yonhap JP with former President Park Chung-hee in 1973 / YonhapFormer Prime Minister Kim Jong-pil, one of South Korea's most influential politicians in the 1980s-90s who was often dubbed the "eternal No. 2" for his closeness to power and failure to reach the top, died Saturday. He was 92.Kim is believed to have died of old age. He was taken in an ambulance to Soonchunhyang University Hospital in central Seoul from his home in Shindang-dong in the morning, but he was already dead on arrival, hospital officials said.An aide said Kim died at 8:15 a.m.Born in 1926, Kim graduated from the Korea Military Academy and played a key role in the 1961 military coup led by then-Gen. Park Chung-hee, who rose to president and ruled South Korea for 18 years before his assassination by his spy chief in 1979.Kim was known as a major planner of the coup.While Park was in office, Kim served in various

Jun 23, 2018
Former Prime Minister Kim Jong-pil dies at age 92

Former star singer Lim Eun-sook dies of breast cancer

Lim Eun-sook, a former member of all-female band “Sesese” that had its heyday in the 1990s, died on Monday at 45. Lim Eun-sook. / Captured from JTBC “Two Yoo Project - Sugar Man Season 2”By Dong Sun-hwa, Park Si-soo Lim Eun-sook, a former member of all-female band “Sesese” that had its heyday in the 1990s, died on Monday. She was 45. The singer revealed on a TV program in January that she was dying of breast cancer. On the program _ JTBC's music show “Two Yoo Project _ Sugar Man Season 2” -_ she said: “I will put all my passion into today's show, which is likely to be my last performance (in life).” Sesese, which made its debut in the early 1990s, reached its popularity peak in the mid-1990s with several hit songs, including “Amigar Restaurant.” Her private life, including marriage and family, was largely unknown. According to reports, she was divorced and had lived with her mother and daughter. The funeral will be at a memorial hall in Hongseong, South Chungcheong Province, Tuesday.

Jun 4, 2018
Former star singer Lim Eun-sook dies of breast cancer

Trailblazer of Korean auto industry dies at 88

By Nam Hyun-wooThe Late Hanwon Group Honorary Chairman Ha Dong-hwanHa Dong-hwan, honorary chairman of Hangwon Group, died at the age of 88, after earning a reputation of paving the way for Korea's automotive industry to stand as the country's growth driver. According to the group on Monday, Ha passed away Sunday after struggling with a chronic disease. He is known for establishing Dong-A Motor, which has now become SsangYong Motor. Ha was born in 1930 in Gaesong, North Korea, and spent his early days as a junior engineer at auto repair shops in Seoul. At the age of 24, he established an auto workshop named after himself in Mapo-gu, Seoul, and assembled buses out of old oil drums and used engines and gearboxes abandoned by the U.S. military, which gave him the nickname of “King of the oil drum bus.” Such an experiment allowed him to manufacture real cars and he set up an official company in 1962, making buses for domestic use. The workshop was transformed into a 6,600 square-meter factory in Guro-dong, Seoul, and became Korea's first factory manufacturing buses. The compan

May 28, 2018
Trailblazer of Korean auto industry dies at 88

Top fashion model from the '90s dead

Kim Min-seungBy Park Si-soo Fashion model Kim Min-seung, who had his heyday in the 1990s, has died, his agency said on Thursday. He was 47.The cause was unknown. His death was revealed two days after his funeral was held at Ajou University Hospital's funeral house on Tuesday. In a 2007 interview, Kim revealed he had suffered from an unspecified disease for five years after he made his debut as a model and the suffering drove him to switch his career to acting. It's uncertain if his sudden death had any link to the disease.Kim made his modeling debut in 1994 and featured in several films and plays.

May 24, 2018
Top fashion model from the '90s dead

LG Group Chairman Koo Bon-moo dies at 73

Late LG Chairman Koo Bon-mooBy Baek Byung-yeulLG Group Chariman Koo Bon-moo passed away Sunday after a year-long battle with a brain tumor. He was 73.Korea's fourth-largest conglomerate said Koo died peacefully at 9:52 a.m. in Seoul while his family was watching. Koo underwent several operations since April last year to remove a brain tumor. Following the surgeries, the late business tycoon had been receiving intense medical care but was unable to recover. He had been hospitalized at Seoul National University Hospital for months.When Koo fell ill, he handed over the everyday management of the group to Koo Bon-joon, his younger brother and the group's vice chairman.Born in 1945 in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, Koo is the grandson of LG founder Koo In-hoi and the eldest son of the group's honorary Chairman Koo Ja-kyung, who he replaced as group chief in 1995.While he was serving as chairman, the group's revenue rose from 30 trillion won ($28.3 billion) a year to 160 trillion won.“Becoming the third chairman of LG at the age of 50 in 1995, Koo established three key businesses

May 20, 2018
LG Group Chairman Koo Bon-moo dies at 73
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