Trot Singer Song Dae-gwan of 'Haetteulnal' Passes Away Due to Heart Attack

A Series of Hits Including "Yuhaengga" and "Nebaekja"
Served as the 2nd President of the Korea Singers Association

Singer Song Dae-gwan, who gained great popularity with trot songs such as 'Haedeulnal,' passed away on the morning of the 7th at the age of 79.

Singer Song Dae-gwan. Photo by Yonhap News

According to his family, Song Dae-gwan visited the emergency room at Seoul National University Hospital the day before due to poor health, and suddenly passed away from a heart attack during treatment on the morning of the 7th. It is known that he was recently hospitalized for candidiasis, but his condition improved and he was discharged.

Song Dae-gwan debuted in 1967 with 'Injeong Maneun Ajusshi' but did not receive much attention until 1975 when 'Haedeulnal' became a big hit, propelling him to popularity. He then suddenly emigrated to the United States. After about 10 years, he returned to Korea in 1989 and successfully made a comeback with hits such as 'Jeongttaemune.' Since then, he produced numerous hit songs including 'Nega Mwonde,' 'Chapyohan Jang,' 'Gohyang-i Namjjogiraetji,' 'Yuhaengga,' and 'Nebaekja.'

Song Dae-gwan was called one of the 'Four Kings of Trot' along with Tae Jin-ah, Hyun Chul, and Seol Woon-do. In particular, he formed a close friendship and rivalry with Tae Jin-ah, appearing together as a duo on TV variety shows and stages, and also held joint concerts.

He received many awards including MBC's 'Top Teen Singer King' and KBS's 'Best Adult Singer Award' at the Gayo Awards, and was awarded the Order of Cultural Merit, Ok-gwan, in 2001.

From 2008 to 2010, he served as the 2nd president of the Korea Singers Association, leading efforts to protect singers' rights. During his tenure in 2009, he filed a lawsuit in a local court demanding damages for the unauthorized use of Korean songs in Japanese karaoke.

The funeral will be held at the funeral hall of Seoul National University Hospital in Jongno-gu, Seoul.