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

Life and career

Yun was born in

Pyongyang Pyongyang (, , ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 populat ...

in 1897. She studied at the Pyongyang Girls' Middle and High Schools, and graduated from Kyongsong Women's Teaching College in

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...

in 1914. After graduation she became a primary school teacher in

Wonju Wonju () is the most populous city in Gangwon Province, South Korea. The city is located approximately east of Seoul. Wonju was the site of three crucial battles during the Korean War. Geography Wonju sits at the southwestern corner of Gangw ...

. 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 Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea, ...

. 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)'' Korean song. It was recorded in

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...

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 "Waves of the Danube" ( ro, Valurile Dunării) is a waltz composed by Iosif Ivanovici in 1880, and is one of the most famous Romanian tunes in the world. The song has many variations throughout the piece, reminiscent of the music of Johann Strauss. ...

" by Ion Ivanovici. Two films have been made about Yun. The first, a 1969 film titled ''Yun Sim-Deok,'' was directed by An Hyeon-cheol (

Hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The le ...

: 안현철) and starred

Moon Hee Moon Hee (born July 16, 1947) is a South Korean actress active since 1965. She was born in Pusan, South Korea in 1947. While attending Seorabeol Art College with a film and theater major, Moon applied for recruiting new actors by KBS TV. When ...

. The second was a 1991 film called '' Death Song,'' directed by Kim Ho-sun and starring

Chang Mi-hee Chang Mi-hee (born January 27, 1958) is a South Korean actress. She was born Lee Yun-hui in Seoul, South Korea in 1958. Chang debuted as an actress in 1976 as starring in ''Seong Chun-hyang jeon'' directed by Park Tae-won and TBC TV drama, ''Haen ...

. The film won numerous awards in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

, including Best Film at the 1991 Blue Dragon Film Awards and the 1991

Chunsa Film Art Awards The Chunsa Film Art Awards (also known as the Icheon Chunsa Film Festival) have been presented in South Korea since the founding of the prize by the Korea Film Directors' Society in 1990. The awards take their name from the pen name of the early ...

. A television series was also made in 2018 titled ''

The Hymn of Death ''The Hymn of Death'' () is a 2018 South Korean television miniseries based on true events, starring Lee Jong-suk and Shin Hye-sun. It aired on SBS from November 27 to December 4, 2018, and is available on Netflix worldwide. Synopsis The se ...

''.

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

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 garnere ...

in the 2018 SBS TV series ''

''.

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