Kye Eun-sook

By Kwon Mee-yoo
Korea Times Intern

Kye Eun-sook, 46, a Korean Enka singer in Japan, was arrested for drug possession Tuesday.

The drug enforcement authorities found 0.6 grams of amphetamines in two separate plastic bags at Kye's home in Tokyo. According to the officials, Kye admitted the purchase and possession of the drugs. Two glass pipes used for smoking the drug were also found.

However, Kye's mother, 85, living with Kye, did not know about the drugs.

Kye debuted in Korea in 1979 with the song ``Singing and Dancing.'' She went to Japan to sing enka, a form of Japanese-style ballads. Among her hits were ``Osaka Boshoku'' in 1985 and ``Besame Mucho.'' She appeared in NHK's year-end show for seven consecutive years from 1988 and won the outstanding performance prize at the Japan Record Awards in 1994.

However, Kye's personal life has not been as smooth as her career. She divorced in 1999, allegedly due to her gambling habit and debt. Her agency cancelled their contract with her in 2001 and sued her for 255 million yen because her ex-manager committed suicide after being pressed to repay debts.

She returned as an enka singer in 2006, but her poor health resulted in the cancellation of some shows.

She went on a national concert tour of Japan this year to try to make a new start. However, in September, an acquaintance sued her for not repaying 14 million yen she owed and she was known to be in a very stressful situation.

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