Its lyrics were written by Mun Ilsŏk (문일석; 文一石), it was composed by Son Mogin [ko], and it was first sung by Lee Nan-young.

[1][2] In early 1935, the Korean newspaper The Chosun Ilbo held a song-writing contest, with an offer to produce a recording of the winning lyrics by September of that year.

[1] The song quickly achieved immense success; it sold 50,000 copies and also became popular in Japan, under the Japanese name Wakare no funa uta (別れの船歌).

Upon the song's publication, it reportedly quickly drew suspicion from colonial authorities, especially due to one line, which could be interpreted as lamenting 300 years of resentment.

In 2024, a Japanese girl named Azuma Aki (東亜樹) sang a viral cover of the song that reached over 2 million views[6] on YouTube and received praise from many Korean people.