Yoo Chae-yeong

Biography

Yoo Chae-yeong (Korean: 유채영; 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 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 music.
As an actress, Yoo appeared in supporting roles in movies and television dramas, notably in the comedy film Sex Is Zero (2002) and its sequel Sex Is Zero 2 (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.

Death

Yoo was diagnosed with cancer in October 2013. She died on July 24, 2014, of gastric cancer at the age of 40.

Film

Whistling Princess (2002)
Sex Is Zero (2002)
Who Slept with Her? (2006)
Sex Is Zero 2 (2007)

Television drama

First Love of a Royal Prince (MBC, 2004)
Marrying a Millionaire (SBS, 2005–2006)
My Cup (tvN, 2008)
The Slave Hunters (KBS2, 2010) (cameo)
Coffee House (SBS, 2010) (cameo)
Twinkle Twinkle (MBC, 2011) (cameo)
Brain (KBS2, 2011) (cameo)
Fashion King (SBS, 2012)
The Fugitive of Joseon (KBS2, 2013)
Rollercoaster 3 (tvN, 2013)

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)