By Adu-Gyamfi Ebenezer for Ghanaian News Canada
According to her family on the 1st, Song Do-soon left the world on December 31 of last year at around 10 p.m. at Korea University Anam Hospital in Seoul due to a long-term illness.
Born in Hwanghae Province in 1949, the late actress attended Jungang Girls’ High School and later dropped out of Chung-Ang University’s Department of Theater and Film.
In 1967, during her college years, she joined TBC (Tongyang Broadcasting Company) as a voice actor in its third class. After the media consolidation in 1980, she worked as a voice actor at KBS and appeared in broadcast dramas such as ‘Living Is…’, ‘Because I Love’, ‘Dalsu Series’, and ‘A Small Station’.
She also hosted shows like ‘Singles Bungle Show’, ‘Evening Hope Songs’, and ‘Cheerful Comedy’.
Her rise to fame came through the MBC animated series ‘Tom and Jerry’, where she served as the narrator and gained attention for her unique vocal tone.
The U.S.-produced ‘Tom and Jerry’ first aired in South Korea in 1972 under the title ‘Fight, Kkan-dol’, and from 1981, it was broadcast as ‘Tom and Jerry’. Among various versions, the one narrated by Song remains the most famous.
She also lent her voice to animated films such as ‘101 Dalmatians’ and ‘My Friend Dragon’.
After the launch of TBS (Traffic Broadcasting System), she co-hosted ‘Evening Road Together’ with voice actor Bae Han-sung for 17 years (1990–2007), earning the nickname ‘Smart-Sounding Auntie’.
She frequently appeared on TV programs like MBC’s variety show ‘Three Wheels’ and ‘Sympathy Talk Show Come and Play’.
In 2015, she served as a honorary promotional ambassador for the Korea Tourism Organization. Alongside Bae Han-sung and Yang Ji-woon, she established the Special Speech Academy (SSA) and worked as its director.
She received the Grand Prize in the Radio Category at the 1975 Korea Broadcasting Awards and the Bogwan Order of Cultural Merit in 2020.
In 2019, she appeared on MBC’s ‘Human Documentary People Are Good’ and revealed her battle with thyroid cancer.
She said, “Since my thyroid cancer surgery a few years ago, my digestion has been poor. Everyone manages their health, but I didn’t. That’s why I’m doing it now. But when I do something, I go all out.”
She added, “I worked for 53 years without being fired. I can’t say it’s retirement, but I’m ready to stop. Reflecting on my youth, I lived intensely without knowing my body’s limits. I think having the courage to let go of work is a good thing.”
Her surviving family members include her husband Park Hee-min, sons actor Park Joon-hyuk and Park Jin-jae (working at SPOTV), and daughters-in-law Chae Ja-yeon and Kim Hyun-min.
