Yoo Chae-yeong (; September 22, 1973 – July 24, 2014) was a South Korean singer, actress, and radio host.

Early life and education

Born as Kim Soo-jin, she made her entertainment debut at 17 years old as part of the group Punsudeul ("Idiots") in 1989, when she was still in high school.

Career

In 1994, using the stage name Yoo Chae-yeong, she became one of the original members of the popular

K-pop K-pop (), short for Korean popular music, is a form of popular music originating in South Korea as part of South Korean culture. It includes styles and genres from around the world, such as pop, hip hop, R&B, experimental, rock, jazz, g ...

group Cool. She initially attracted media attention for sporting a shaved head, which at the time was a bold hairstyle rarely seen on female South Korean celebrities. Yoo left Cool a year later, going on to make up one half of the duo US in 1995. She embarked on a solo singing career in 1996, and her hit song "Emotion" (released in 1999), contributed to the nationwide spread of

techno Techno is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally music production, produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central Drum beat, rhythm is typ ...

music. As an actress, Yoo appeared in supporting roles in movies and

television drama In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

s, notably in the

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending ( black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the o ...

Sex Is Zero ''Sex Is Zero'' () is a 2002 South Korean film written and directed by Yoon Je-kyoon, starring Im Chang-jung and Ha Ji-won. In the style of American gross-out comedies like '' American Pie'', it follows the exploits of a group of college studen ...

'' (2002) and its sequel ''

Sex Is Zero 2 ''Sex Is Zero 2'' is the 2007 sequel to the South Korean comedy film ''Sex Is Zero'', and is the directorial debut of Yoon Tae-yoon. Starring Im Chang-jeong and Song Ji-hyo, the film reunites most of the cast from the original film, though Ha Ji ...

'' (2007). She was also a popular radio host on the MBC program ''Good Weekend, It's Kim Kyung-sik and Yoo Chae-yeong'', known for her quick wit and self-deprecating humor. In 2009, after nearly a decade of absence from the music scene, she released a new single titled ''Another Decade''. Yoo was diagnosed with cancer in October 2013. She died on July 24, 2014, of

gastric cancer Stomach cancer, also known as gastric cancer, is a cancer that develops from the lining of the stomach. Most cases of stomach cancers are gastric carcinomas, which can be divided into a number of subtypes, including gastric adenocarcinomas. Ly ...

at the age of 40.

Filmography

Film

* ''Whistling Princess'' (2002) * ''

'' (2002) * ''Who Slept with Her?'' (2006) * ''

'' (2007)

Television drama

* ''

First Love of a Royal Prince ''First Love of a Royal Prince'' (; also known as ''A Prince's First Love'') is a 2004 South Korean television series starring Sung Yu-ri, Cha Tae-hyun, Kim Nam-jin and Jin Jae-young. It aired on MBC from June 23 to August 26, 2004 on Wednesdays ...

'' ( MBC, 2004) * ''

Marrying a Millionaire ''Marrying a Millionaire'' () is a South Korean television series that aired on SBS from November 26, 2005 to January 22, 2006. The series was partially inspired by the US reality show ''Joe Millionaire''. Storyline Want to marry a millionair ...

'' ( SBS, 2005–2006) * ''My Cup'' ( tvN, 2008) * ''

The Slave Hunters ''The Slave Hunters'' () is a 2010 South Korean action historical drama set in the Joseon Dynasty about a slave hunter (played by Jang Hyuk) who is tracking down a general-turned-runaway slave (Oh Ji-ho) as well as searching for the woman he l ...

'' (

KBS2 The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) () is the national broadcaster of South Korea. Founded in February 1927, it is one of the leading South Korean television and radio broadcasters. KBS operates seven radio networks, ten television channels, ...

, 2010) ( cameo) * ''

Coffee House A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non-ca ...

'' ( SBS, 2010) ( cameo) * '' Twinkle Twinkle'' ( MBC, 2011) ( cameo) * ''

Brain The brain is an organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It consists of nervous tissue and is typically located in the head ( cephalization), usually near organs for special ...

'' (

, 2011) ( cameo) * '' Fashion King'' ( SBS, 2012) * ''

The Fugitive of Joseon ''The Fugitive of Joseon'' (; lit. "Heaven's Order: The Story of the Fugitive from Joseon") is a 2013 South Korean historical television series starring Lee Dong-wook and Song Ji-hyo. It aired on KBS2 from April 24 to June 27, 2013 on Wednesd ...

'' (

, 2013) * ''Rollercoaster – Season 3'' ( tvN, 2013)

Discography

Albums

# ''Poonsoo II'' (1990) – album with Punsudeul # ''The K;ul'' (1994) – album with Cool # ''The Us Rage To See The Day We Rule!'' (1995) – album with US # 쾌속(快速) (1996) – solo debut # ''Emotion'' (1999) # ''A Secret Diary'' (2001) # ''Another Decade'' (2009)

References

External links

* * 1973 births 2014 deaths Deaths from cancer in South Korea K-pop singers South Korean women pop singers South Korean film actresses South Korean female idols South Korean television actresses Deaths from stomach cancer {{SouthKorea-singer-stub