Lee Mi-ja (Hangul: 이미자; born October 30, 1941)[1] is a South Korean singer. She is widely considered the most influential trot singer in Korean music history.[2] Lee debuted in 1959 and rose to stardom with her 1964 best-selling song, "Camellia Girl."[3] She has released over 500 albums during her career and is known as the "Queen of Elegy," after one of her most popular songs.[4] In 2002, she became one of the first South Korean singers to perform in North Korea.[5]

Lee Mi-ja
Born (1941-10-30) October 30, 1941 (age 83)
OccupationSinger
Years active1959–present
Honours Geumgwan Order of Cultural Merit (2023)
Musical career
GenresTrot
Korean name
Hangul
이미자
Hanja
李美子
Revised RomanizationI Mi-ja
McCune–ReischauerYi Mi-cha

Awards

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State honors

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Name of country, year given, and name of honor
Country Organization Year Honor or Award Ref.
South Korea Korean Popular Culture and Arts Awards[note 1] 2013 Eungwan Order of Cultural Merit [9]
2023 Gold Crown Cultural Medal [10]

Notes

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  1. ^ Honors are given at the Korean Popular Culture and Arts Awards, arranged by the Korea Creative Content Agency and hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.[6][7] They are awarded to those who have contributed to the arts and South Korea's pop culture.[8]

References

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  1. ^ "이미자 소개" [Lee Mi-ja Profile]. Mnet (in Korean). Retrieved 2018-02-11.
  2. ^ "10 Influential Women on the Cultural Scene (1950–2007)". The Korea Times. 2007-10-22. Retrieved 2018-02-11.
  3. ^ Park, Si-soo (2013-10-31). "Root of K-pop". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2018-02-11.
  4. ^ Choi, Bo-shik (2009-03-08). "Lee Mi-ja Looks Back on Her 50-Year Singing Career". The Chosun Ilbo. Reprinted in Korea Focus. Retrieved 2018-02-11.
  5. ^ Lee, Yoo-jin (2018-01-05). "그땐 평양서 효리·젝키 공연, 평창엔 북한 걸그룹 오나요". The Hankyoreh (in Korean). Retrieved 2018-02-11.
  6. ^ Hicap, Jonathan (October 18, 2018). "BTS, Red Velvet win at Korean Popular Culture and Arts Awards". Manila Bulletin. Archived from the original on October 18, 2018. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  7. ^ Yeo, Yer-im (October 25, 2018). "BTS gets award upon their return home". Yonhap News Agency. Archived from the original on November 7, 2018. Retrieved June 18, 2021 – via Korea JoongAng Daily.
  8. ^ Lee, Sang-won (October 25, 2016). "Korean Popular Culture and Arts Awards announces winners". The Korea Herald. Archived from the original on September 29, 2018. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  9. ^ "Veteran entertainers win cultural order". The Korea Herald. November 10, 2013. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  10. ^ Lee, Ha-na (October 20, 2023). "이미자, 대중음악인 최초 금관문화훈장 수훈‥황정민·신동엽 대통령 표창" [Lee Mi-ja becomes the first popular musician to be awarded the Gold Medal of Culture by Presidents Hwang Jung-min and Shin Dong-yup]. Newsen (in Korean). Retrieved November 1, 2023 – via Naver.
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