View source for Kwak Soon-ok

{{Short description|South Korean singer (1932–2023)}}
{{family name hatnote|Kwak|lang=Korean}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Kwak Soon-ok
| image=   곽순옥.jpg
| image_size= 202px
| birth_name = 곽순옥
| birth_date = {{birth date text|20 March 1932}}
| birth_place = [[Jilin]], [[Manchukuo]]
| death_date = {{death-date and age|12 September 2023|20 March 1932}}
| death_place = [[Seoul]], South Korea
|resting_place=
| other names =Kwak Sun Ok
| children =
| years_active =
| occupation = Singer
| module  = {{Infobox Korean name|child=yes
|hangul=곽순옥
|hanja={{linktext|郭|順|玉}}
|rr=Gwak Sun-ok
|mr=Kwak Sunok
}}
}}
'''Kwak Soon-ok''' ({{Langx|ko|곽순옥}}; 20 March 1932 – 12 September 2023), also spelled '''Kwak Sun Ok''', was a Chinese-born South Korean singer.
==Life and career==
Born in [[Jilin]], Soon-ok moved to South Korea shortly before the [[Korean War]].<ref name="bio">{{cite news |author=문지연 |title='누가 이 사람을 모르시나요' 부른 원로 가수 곽순옥 별세 |url=https://www.chosun.com/national/national_general/2023/09/13/QOMLNZLKWVHSBEIPXMPWFIVKJY/ |access-date=4 October 2023 |work=[[The Chosun Ilbo]] |date=13 September 2023 |language=ko |archive-date=14 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230914193618/https://www.chosun.com/national/national_general/2023/09/13/QOMLNZLKWVHSBEIPXMPWFIVKJY/ |url-status=live }}</ref> She  debuted as a [[club singer]] in 1951, performing for the [[Eighth United States Army]].<ref name="eng">{{cite news |last=Caulfield |first=Henley |title=Veteran Korean Singer Kwak Sun Ok Passes Away |url=https://www.jazminemedia.com/news/veteran-korean-singer-kwak-sun-ok-passes-away/ |access-date=4 October 2023 |work=JazmineMedia |date=14 September 2023 |language=en-us |archive-date=4 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231004110230/https://www.jazminemedia.com/news/veteran-korean-singer-kwak-sun-ok-passes-away/ |url-status=live }}</ref> One year later, she started working as a musical theatre actress.<ref name="bio3">{{cite news |last=마아라|title='누가 이 사람을 모르시나요' 부른 가수 곽순옥 별세…향년 91세 |url=https://news.mt.co.kr/mtview.php?no=2023091310540181130 |access-date=4 October 2023 |work=머니투데이 |date=13 September 2023 |language=ko}}</ref> Also a lyricist, her major hit was the song "누가 이사람을 모르시나요" ("Does Anyone Know This Person"), which was the theme song of the radio series ''남과 북'' ('North and South') and of the 1965 film adaptation with the same title, and which was covered by numerous artists, notably by [[Patti Kim (singer)|Patty Kim]] in a 1983 successful version.<ref name="bio" /><ref name="eng" /> In spite of her success, in 1965 she moved to Hong Kong and abandoned her musical activities.<ref name="bio" /><ref name="eng" /> She eventually moved to the United States, before returning to [[Seoul]] in her late years.<ref name="bio" /> She made her last appearance in 2021, in the [[Maeil Broadcasting Network|MBN]] program ''Spotlight on the World''.<ref name="bio" /><ref name="bio3" /> Soon-ok died on 12 September 2023, at the age of 91.<ref name="bio" />
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
* [https://www.melon.com/artist/song.htm?artistId=18061 Kwak Soon-ok] at [[Melon (online music service)|Melon]]
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kwak, Soon-ok}}
[[Category:1932 births]]
[[Category:2023 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Jilin]]
[[Category:South Korean women singers]]