Ok-hee, 1970s pop star and leader of Seoul Sisters, dies at 73

The leader of the pioneering five-member girl group Seoul Sisters, Ok-hee, died Saturday from kidney cancer. She was 73.

Ok-hee, whose legal name is Kim Gwang-sook, was at a hospice ward in Suwon, Gyeonggi.

The singer was born in 1953 in Busan, where her parents had taken refuge during the Korean War (1950-1953) and were performing with a theatrical troupe. After the armistice, her family moved to Seoul. In Ok-hee's third year of middle school, her aunt — who ran a dressmaking shop in Myeongdong, central Seoul — introduced her to the groundbreaking singer Hyun Mi (1938-2023) known for infusing jazz into Korean pop. That introduction led Ok-hee to audition for the U.S. 8th Army Show circuit — a live entertainment program run by the U.S. military in Korea that hired Korean performers to entertain American troops stationed in the country —  launching her entertainment career.

She debuted in 1968 as the leader of Seoul Sisters, performing across Hong Kong, the Middle East, the United States and Canada. After returning to Korea, she launched her solo career in 1974 with "I Don't Know" (translated). 

She went on to release more popular singles, including "Speak with Your Eyes" (1975, translated), "Where Could You Be" and "Ah, That Day" (1976, translated) and "Hold Both My Hands" (1977, translated).

In 1978, Ok-hee began a relationship with professional boxer Hong Soo-hwan, and the couple had a daughter together before separating. They reunited in 1995, nearly 16 years later. 

Ok-hee continued releasing music in the years that followed, including "A Love Like a Novel" (2003, translated), "Because of Money" (2007, translated) and "Train of Life" (2017, translated).

She was diagnosed with kidney cancer last year.

Ok-hee is survived by a son and a daughter.

BY HYEON YE-SEUL [[email protected]]