[Sportschosun reporter Park Ara-m] Composer and conductor Choi Young-seop, who created the Korean art song "Longing for Mt. Geumgang," died on the 29th. He was 97.
According to his family, he had recently been receiving treatment at a nursing hospital after his health worsened due to age-related illness. He died that morning.
Born in 1929 in Ganghwa, Gyeonggi Province, Choi graduated from the composition department at Seoul National University and later studied conducting at the graduate school of the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna in Austria. He went on to teach at Hanyang University and served as an adjunct professor in the music education department at Chung-Ang University, where he also devoted himself to nurturing younger musicians.
He left behind numerous works, including "Longing for Mt. Geumgang," "The Land of Morning Calm," and "Oh! My Beloved Homeland." In particular, "Longing for Mt. Geumgang" became a signature art song that has been loved across generations for its portrayal of the pain of division and longing for the mountains and countryside of one's hometown.
He was also widely known as the father of Choi Sung-won, bassist and singer-songwriter of the rock band Deulgukhwa.
His funeral altar has been set up at the funeral hall of Severance Hospital in Sinchon, Seoul, and the funeral procession is scheduled for July 1.
tokkig@sportschosun.com
