Song Bok-hee (; 27 April 1927 – 8 June 2022), also known professionally as Song Hae (), was a South Korean television music show host and singer. He had been the host of the longest running music show '' National Singing Contest'' from 1988 until his death in 2022, and was also a veteran of the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

Early life

Song Bok-hee was born on 27 April 1927 in modern-day Chaeryŏng-gun,

South Hwanghae Province South Hwanghae Province (Hwanghaenamdo; , lit. "south Yellow Sea province") is a province in western North Korea. The province was formed in 1954 when the former Hwanghae Province was split into North and South Hwanghae. The provincial capital ...

in North Korea. His family was part of the Yeosan Song clan. Song started as a singer who majored in operatic singing in Haeju conservatory of music in 1949. During the Korean War, he fled via boat to the south, arriving in the port of Busan. He later used the stage name, Hae (meaning sea), as a memory of this voyage. Song served as a military signaller for the South, and claimed to have transmitted the message for the ceasefire of the Korean War.

Career

In 1955, Song Hae debuted in the Changgong musical troupe. In 1988, at the age of 60, Song became the emcee for ''Korea Sings'', a position he held until his death in 2022.

Personal life and death

In 1953, Song married his wife, Suk Ok-ee. In 1986, his son Chang-jin (19661986) was killed in a bike accident on the

Hannam Bridge The Hannam Bridge is a girder bridge over the Han River, South Korea. It connects Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu and Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu. The bridge is heavily congested with traffic, with both ''gu'' being busy business districts. It was called ...

. On 20 January 2018, Ok-ee passed away. Song died at his home in Gangnam of Seoul on 8 June 2022, aged 95. He was cremated at a crematory in

Gimcheon Gimcheon (; , trans., 'gold spring city') is a city in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It is situated on the major land transportation routes between Seoul and Busan, namely the Gyeongbu Expressway and Gyeongbu Line railway. In ancient ...

and his ashes were buried at the family cemetery nearby Songhae Park () in Daegu on June 10, 2022.

Filmography

Television shows

Film

Awards and honors

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Song, Hae 1927 births 2022 deaths Trot singers South Korean television presenters South Korean radio presenters South Korean male comedians South Korean male singers South Korean military personnel of the Korean War Yeosan Song clan South Korean Buddhists People from South Hwanghae People from Chaeryong County