Singer-songwriter Maeng Yu-na, who was called "Korea's Suzanne Vega" for her clear, pure voice, has been gone from our side for seven years already.
Dec. 26, 2025, is the seventh anniversary of the late Maeng Yu-na. The news of her sudden death at the blossoming age of 29 shocked and saddened music fans at the time, and many still remember her through her music.
Maeng Yu-na died of cardiac arrest on Dec. 26, 2018. News of her death was not made public until Jan. 18, 2019. Aside from severe stress from music creation, she had no particular other illnesses, and the fact that her death was a sudden unexpected passing while she was about to take up a professorship in practical music at a university and release her third studio album in June 2019 caused great shock.
Born in 1989, Maeng Yu-na was the daughter of Maeng Jeong-ho, a former manager of Cho Yong-pil, and grew up in a musical environment that naturally fostered her dream of becoming a musician. Maeng Yu-na, who first gained attention through the OST of director Yoon Seok-ho's drama "Spring Waltz" in 2007, debuted in Japan at the time under the stage name Memory and drew attention for her deep sensibility and clear tone while singing "Flower." She later began performing in Korea under her real name and embarked on the path of a full-fledged singer-songwriter.
Maeng Yu-na released many songs such as "Goyang-i Maho," "Vanilla Bonbon," "Cherry Pie," and "Rose-colored Life," covering various genres including modern rock, acoustic and jazz, and demonstrated a wide musical spectrum that ranged from lively sensibility to lyrical melodies as well as songwriting and composing skills. In particular, thanks to her distinctive clear voice and polished songwriting ability, she earned the flattering label "Korea's Suzanne Vega" from critics and the public.
Having steadily built her own musical world for about 10 years, Maeng Yu-na ended her short life at the age of 29, prompting regret. Maeng Yu-na, who was about to soar higher through a professorship appointment and the release of her third studio album. Although she left before fully blossoming, her clear voice remains in fans' hearts like a flower that never withers.
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