Lee Mi-ja

In this Korean name, the family name is Lee.

For the Korean basketball player, see Lee Mi-ja (basketball).

Lee Mi-ja (Hangul: 이미자; born October 30, 1941)^[1] is a South Korean singer. She is widely considered the most influential trot singer in Korean music history.^[2] Lee debuted in 1959 and rose to stardom with her 1964 best-selling song, "Camellia Girl."^[3] She has released over 500 albums during her career and is known as the "Queen of Elegy," after one of her most popular songs.^[4] In 2002, she became one of the first South Korean singers to perform in North Korea.^[5]

Lee Mi-ja
Born	(1941-10-30) October 30, 1941 (age 83) Keijō, Keiki-dō, Korea (today Seoul, South Korea)
Occupation	Singer
Years active	1959–present
Honours	Geumgwan Order of Cultural Merit (2023)
Musical career
Genres	Trot
Korean name
Hangul	이미자
Hanja	李美子
Revised Romanization	I Mi-ja
McCune–Reischauer	Yi Mi-cha

Awards

• 2013 MBC Entertainment Awards – Achievement Award

State honors

Name of country, year given, and name of honor

Country	Organization	Year	Honor or Award	Ref.
South Korea	Korean Popular Culture and Arts Awards[note 1]	2013	Eungwan Order of Cultural Merit	[9]
		2023	Gold Crown Cultural Medal	[10]

Notes

1. Honors are given at the Korean Popular Culture and Arts Awards, arranged by the Korea Creative Content Agency and hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.^[6][7] They are awarded to those who have contributed to the arts and South Korea's pop culture.^[8]