Park Jung-un: Four years since the singer's death, the comeback he never got to make
Four years ago today, Park Jung-un died at 57. His last album never saw release. His last studio record came in 2002.
The comeback that never came
Park Jung-un died on September 17, 2022, at Seoul Asan Hospital. He was 57. In his final months, he'd been working on a new album with Park Jun-ha, a fellow singer and old friend. The record never came out.
Born in 1965, Park Jung-un moved to the United States as a child before returning to Korea to sing. His debut came in 1989 with 후, 미? (Who, Me?). He gained real traction through O-Jang-Park, a project group with Oh Seok-jun and Jang Pil-soon. The track 내일이 찾아오면 pushed him wider into the public eye.
Three KBS Singer of the Year awards in four years
The early 1990s belonged to him. He won the Top 10 Singer Award at the 1992 MBC 10대 가수 가요제. Then came the KBS 가요대상 Singer of the Year in 1992, 1993, and 1995. 오늘 같은 밤이면, 먼 훗날에, 그대만을 위한 사랑 — these songs defined that era.
His seventh album, 땡큐 (Thank You), dropped in 2002. Nothing followed for twenty years. He reappeared in 2017 on KBS 2TV's 불후의 명곡 — 전설을 노래하다 with Kim Min-woo.
What he left behind
Circrhosis and diabetes marked his final years. He leaves behind a wife, a daughter, and a son. The album with Park Jun-ha sits unreleased. Four years later, that's what lingers.
Cheer the story
