Yun Sim-deok (; 25 July 1897 – 4 August 1926) was a Korean singer. She was the country's first professional

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...

Life and career

Yun was born in Pyongyang in 1897. She studied at the Pyongyang Girls' Middle and High Schools, and graduated from Kyongsong Women's Teaching College in Seoul in 1914. After graduation she became a primary school teacher in Wonju. After teaching for one year, Yun went to Japan, becoming the first Korean to study at the

Tokyo Music School or is the most prestigious art school in Japan. Located in Ueno Park, it also has facilities in Toride, Ibaraki, Yokohama, Kanagawa, and Kitasenju and Adachi, Tokyo. The university has trained renowned artists in the fields of painting, scul ...

. In Japan, she met and fell in love with a married English literature student, Kim U-jin (Hangul: 김우진), with whom she had an affair. After graduating from music school, Yun returned to Korea, where she made her debut as a soprano in 1923. Though audiences were impressed by her powerful voice, she was unable to make a living performing Western classical music, and became a pop singer and actress to support herself. Yun and Kim U-jin committed suicide together in 1926, jumping off a passenger ship en route from Simonoseki to Busan. The shocking news caused a sensation in Korea, and Yun's 1926 recording of "Hymn of Death" (Hangul: 사의 찬미; also called "Death Song") sold a record 100,000 copies following her death.

Legacy

Yun's most famous recording, 1926's "Hymn of Death," is considered the first "popular" ''(

yuhaeng changga Trot (, ) is a genre of Korean popular music, known for its use of repetitive rhythm and vocal inflections. Originating during the Japanese occupation of Korea in the first half of the 20th century, trot was influenced by many genres of Kor ...

)'' Korean song. It was recorded in Osaka by the Japanese Nitto recording company, with Yun's sister accompanying her on piano. The song is set to the tune of " Waves of the Danube" by

Ion Ivanovici Ion Ivanovici ( sr-cyr, Јован Ивановић) (alternatively: Jovan Ivanović, Iosif Ivanovici, Josef Ivanovich) (1845 – ) was a Romanian military band conductor and composer of Banat Serbian origin, best remembered today for his w ...

. Two films have been made about Yun. The first, a 1969 film titled ''Yun Sim-Deok,'' was directed by An Hyeon-cheol ( Hangul: 안현철) and starred Moon Hee. The second was a 1991 film called '' Death Song,'' directed by Kim Ho-sun and starring Chang Mi-hee. The film won numerous awards in South Korea, including Best Film at the 1991

Blue Dragon Film Awards The Blue Dragon Film Awards () is an annual awards ceremony that is presented by ''Sports Chosun'' (a sister brand of the ''Chosun Ilbo'') for excellence in film in South Korea. The Blue Dragon Film Awards considers only blockbusters and popula ...

and the 1991 Chunsa Film Art Awards. A television series was also made in 2018 titled '' The Hymn of Death''.

Gallery

Yun Sim-deok 01.jpg Yun Sim-deok 02.jpg Yun Sim-deok 03.jpg Youn Shim-Deok.jpg

Actresses who played Yun Sim-deok

* Portrayed by Moon Hee in the 1969 film ''Yun Sim-Deok''. * Portrayed by Chang Mi-hee in the 1991 film '' Death Song''. * Portrayed by

Shin Hye-sun Shin Hye-sun (born 31 August 1989) is a South Korean actress. She made her debut in the television series '' School 2013''. In 2017, Shin played her first leading role and became well known in the weekend drama, '' My Golden Life'', which garne ...

in the 2018 SBS TV series '' The Hymn of Death''.

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yun, Sim-Deok 1897 births 1926 suicides Korean women singers Korean songwriters Korean stage actresses People from Pyongyang Suicides by drowning Suicides in Japan 20th-century Korean actresses