Praying for the Eternal Rest of Late Song Hae at Jongno's 'Songhae-gil'... Jongno-gu to Hold Memorial Event in September

[Seoul District News] Jongno-gu Supports Memorial Space for Late Broadcaster Song Hae, Who Held Deep Affection for His Second Hometown 'Jongno'... Plans to Foster Community Harmony and Remember Him with (Sa) Songhae-gil Preservation Society on September 21

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] The late broadcaster Song Hae, who passed away peacefully at the age of 95 on the 8th, had a special connection with Jongno-gu. As a displaced person, he opened the office of the ‘Entertainers Evergreen Association’ in the Nakwon-dong area and made it his base for broadcasting activities for decades.

Song Hae’s deep affection for Jongno, which was like a second hometown to him, was evident as he consistently participated in community service and local events, expressing a strong bond with the area.

In appreciation of his dedication, Jongno-gu named him an honorary resident in 2011 and, in May 2016, following a resident proposal, bestowed an honorary street name ‘Songhae-gil’ on a section of Supyo-ro.

In light of this, Jongno-gu expressed deep condolences upon his passing and is assisting in the operation of the ‘Memorial Space’ set up in front of Exit 5 of Jongno 3-ga Station.

Additionally, the district will support the 49th-day memorial service held in July at the Silver Cinema (formerly Hollywood Theater) and, on September 21 this year, will co-host the ‘Late Song Hae 100-Day Memorial Event’ with the (Corporation) Songhae-gil Preservation Association to pray for community harmony and the eternal rest of the deceased. The event will begin with a Jindo Bukchum (drum dance) and feature special performances by broadcasters reminiscing about Song Hae.

‘Songhae-gil’ refers to a 240-meter section of the legal street name Supyo-ro, which is 1.44 km in total length, stretching from the Yukujeon Building in Jongno 2-ga (Supyo-ro 105) to in front of Nakwon Arcade (Supyo-ro 127). A marker stone and a bust of Song Hae are also installed at Exit 5 of Jongno 3-ga Station.

Currently, a memorial space with the phrase ‘Songhae... Drawing’ is established around the bust, where visitors can watch a small monitor showing Song Hae holding a microphone and singing in his warm, distinctive voice during his lifetime.

The memorial space, filled with condolence wreaths and chrysanthemums, will be open until the end of June. Citizens’ procession to remember the ‘elder of the era’ who spent a long time with the common people has continued for over a week.

A district official stated, “We plan to continuously hold meaningful times to honor the late who left a great mark on Korean popular culture and to unite residents around Songhae-gil in Jongno-gu, a place Song Hae deeply loved,” adding, “We will also explore various ways to revitalize the Nakwon-dong local commercial district along with Songhae-gil.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.