A portrait of singer Ok Hee is displayed at the funeral hall of Asan Medical Center in Songpa-gu, Seoul, on Sunday. [Joint Press Corps]
A portrait of singer Ok Hee is displayed at the funeral hall of Asan Medical Center in Songpa-gu, Seoul, on Sunday. [Joint Press Corps]

The funeral of Ok Hee, the singer known for hits including "I Don't Know" and "Neighboring Cousins," will be held with full Korea Singer Association rites.

The Korea Singer Association said Monday that the funeral ceremony will take place at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the funeral hall of Asan Medical Center in Seoul.

The association said it would "honor the late singer's artistic life and achievements and mourn together as she takes her final journey."

The service will be conducted as a Christian worship ceremony in keeping with Ok Hee's faith, presided over by a pastor. Association president Park Sang-chul will personally deliver a eulogy, and a board member will offer a tribute. A video tracing Ok Hee's life and career will then be screened, followed by a flower offering and incense-burning ceremony for attendees.

"Ok Hee devoted herself to the development of Korean popular music and brought deep emotion and comfort to countless people," the association said. "The legacy she left in the world of popular culture and the arts will be remembered for a long time to come."

Ok Hee died while battling kidney cancer, with her husband, former boxing champion Hong Su-hwan, and family at her side. As leader of the five-member girl group Seoul Sisters, she helped bring Korean popular music to international audiences, and after going solo she became one of the defining voices of the 1970s music scene.


shee@heraldcorp.com