Lyricist Jang Kyung-soo, who wrote Cho Yong-pil’s “Scar,” Jang Ki-ha’s “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” and Choi Jin-hee’s “Little Doll,” dies at 73, leaving 1,300 songs behind

From the struggles of ordinary people to the passion of youth, a source of beloved songs spanning generations

Jang Kyung-soo (born Jang Hee-won), a lyricist, died on the morning of the 29th at age 73 after battling liver cancer. He was a driving force behind the lyrics of numerous hits that swept the Korean popular music scene from the 1980s through the 1990s.

Born in Sokcho, Gangwon Province, in 1953, Jang Kyung-soo entered the music industry through a connection he made with singer Ham Jung-ah at a reserve forces training site. Through his older brother, composer Ham Jung-pil, he made his official debut in popular music in 1977, writing the lyrics to Yoon Soo-il’s “It Must Have Been a Dream.”

He went on to leave behind about 1,300 memorable songs that resonated with the public across genres, including “Scar” by Cho Yong-pil, “Because of Affection” by Song Daekwan, “Little Doll” by Choi Jin-hee and “Note of Youth” by Yoo Mi-ri. In particular, “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” with lyrics by Jang, made a strong impression on younger audiences when Jang Ki-ha and the Faces remade it in 2012 for the soundtrack to the film “Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time.”

During his lifetime, he served as the ninth president of the Korea Songwriters Association and as a director of the Korea Music Copyright Association, championing the protection of creators’ rights. He also connected with audiences through appearances on KBS 2TV’s “Immortal Songs” in 2018 and MBN’s “Scoop World” last year. On the programs, he revealed that he had once collapsed while recording, disclosing the severity of his health problems.

A music festival named in his honor had originally been scheduled for the 25th of this month in his hometown of Sokcho, but was ultimately canceled as his condition worsened, adding to the sense of loss. Pop music critic Park Sung-seo praised him as “a lyricist who was not confined to any one genre—ballad, rock or dance—and who portrayed life’s insights and the struggles of ordinary people in a broad and nuanced way.”

His wake is being held in Special Room 8 at Myongji Hospital Funeral Hall in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. He is survived by his wife and two sons.