Song Dae-kwan, the ‘Godfather of Trot’, who gave hope to the public, becomes a star in the sky
Tae Jin-ah is receiving flower offerings from mourners at the funeral of singer Song Dae-kwan held at the funeral hall of Seoul National University Hospital in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 9th. Photo joint reporting team
Song Dae-kwan‘s funeral was held that morning at the Seoul National University Hospital funeral hall in Jongno-gu, Seoul, with the chairman of the Korea Singers Association as the chairman. Song Dae-kwan passed away suddenly at Seoul National University Hospital at the age of 79 at around 10 am on the 7th. Having appeared on various music programs until recently, he visited the hospital complaining of poor health, but eventually did not open his eyes.
The late Song Dae-kwan, who held the mic for 58 years since his debut in 1967, stayed by the public’s side while releasing numerous hit songs to the world. Before ‘The Day the Sun Rises’ became a hit in 1975, he was unknown for about 10 years and was loved by the nation for mainly delivering hopeful messages that were intertwined with his own life.
‘The Day the Sun Rises’, which shouts that even in a difficult life, “a bright and sunny day” will return; ‘Four Beats’, which concisely recites the story of a life filled with “love, separation, and tears” and ‘Popular Songs’, which defines “the lyrics of pop songs tell the story of the world we live in” are some of his representative songs.
The final journey of the ‘eldest brother of the trot world’ was bid farewell by senior and junior trot singers such as Tae Jin-ah, Lee Ja-yeon, Bae Il-ho, Seol Woon-do, Park Sang-chul, and Kim Soo-chan.
Tae Jin-ah, who was greatly loved as a ‘combo’ with Song Dae-kwan, shed tears while guarding the funeral for three days, saying, “My eternal rival, farewell”. Lee Ja-yeon, the president of the Korean Singers Association who served as the joint funeral committee chairman with Tae Jin-ah, remembered Song Dae-kwan, saying, “He was the driving force that gave the nation dreams and hope during times of poverty”.
The heat of remembrance continues beyond the music industry to the broadcasting industry. KBS 2TV‘s ‘Immortal Songs’ released a special video commemorating Song Dae-kwan at the end of the broadcast on the 8th, and ‘Gayo Stage’ will air a memorial video on the 10th. ‘National Singing Contest’ will deliver Song Dae-kwan’s last stage before his death to viewers through the Chungnam Dangjin and Yeongdeungpo-gu episodes, which will air on the 16th and March 2nd, respectively.
Reporter Yoo Ji-hye yjh0304@donga.com
This article is automatically translated using Google AI. If you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know at allkstar@donga.com.
