Cho Yong-Pil

Cho Yong-pil (Korean: 조용필; born March 21, 1950) is a South Korean singer-songwriter. Dubbed the "King of Pop" of South Korea, he is considered one of the most influential figures in the country popular music genre, K-pop. Over a five-decade career, his songs have ranked number one on local music charts in the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2010s. Born in Hwaseong, Cho debuted as a member of the rock band Atkins in 1968 and made his solo debut with the hit single "Come Back to Busan Port" in 1976. Cho has released 19 solo albums and has remained consistently popular during his 50-year career. He was recognized with the Eungwan Order of Cultural Merit for his enormous impact on the country pop music scene. He was selected as Singer of the Year and his song "Bounce" was selected as Song of the Year in the surveys conducted by Gallup Korea in 2013. Cho Yong-pil was born in Songsan-myeon, Hwaseong, South Korea, on March 21, 1950 and spent part of his childhood in Seoul. He and actor Ahn Sung-ki were schoolmates at the now-defunct Kyungdong Middle School in Seoul and remained friends even though they attended different high schools. When Cho was seven, he happened to listen to Ray Charles playing the harmonica, and this inspired the young Cho to become a musician.[citation needed] Cho began his music career as a guitarist in various bands. In 1968, he formed a rock band called Atkins and played for the United States Army. Later, he joined Five Fingers, which played music by black artists. In 1971, Cho joined the band Kim Trio, which motivated him to perform rock music. Members of Kim Trio included Kim Dae Hwan (drum), Lee Nam Yee (bass) and Choi Yee Chul (guitar). This Kim Trio is different from the band of the same name from the 1980s. Cho's debut single as a soloist, "Come Back to Busan Port [ja]", brought him national attention when it was released in 1976, later becoming a hit in Japan. Cho then made a Japanese-language version of the song, and sang live in Japan. The combined sales of the "Come Back to Busan Port" single and the LP featuring the song exceeded 3 million copies. He was accused of smoking marijuana in 1977 and was banned from performing until 1979. His first album, Woman Outside the Window (창 밖의 여자), was released in 1980 and has been followed by many others. In 1980, he held a concert at Carnegie Hall in New York, the first Korean singer to perform there. In 1988, he became the first South Korean singer to perform in China, before the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries. His commercial success declined after the rise of the group Seo Taiji and Boys and many other young musicians. His studio albums released after 1992 were not so successful. Noticing this, he announced that he would stop appearing on television, concluding that he would hardly make any hits.[citation needed] Subsequently, he focused more on concerts and music performance. In 1993, his Busan concert attracted an audience of 1 million, a record for South Korea.[citation needed] The following year, he became the first South Korean singer to surpass 1 million record sales. In 2005, Cho performed a concert in Pyongyang, North Korea, a rare occurrence for a South Korean singer. In April 2013, Cho released his 19th album titled Hello, which debuted at number one on the South Korean charts, eclipsing Psy's "Gentleman". On April 25, 2013, he returned to television with the showcase "Hello". This show was also broadcast live on YouTube. The album ranked number one on the Gaon Album Chart for the week of April 28 – May 4, 2013. Two songs from the album won first place on South Korean music shows: "Hello" and "Bounce". Following the success of Hello, Cho reissued 14 of his old albums. He later released a Japanese version of the album. In 2018, Cho held a series of concerts to mark his 50th anniversary as a singer. Cho released the single album Road to 20-Prelude 1 on November 18, 2022. To promote the album, he released a 30-second teaser video on his official YouTube channel on November 15. The video contains the titles of the new songs "Moment" and "Like Serengeti". He held a solo concert, 2022 Cho Yong-pil and the Great Birth, at the Olympic Gymnastics Arena in Seoul from November 26 to 27 and December 3 to 4. Cho released his 20th album 20 on October 22, 2024, 11 years after the release of his previous album. Cho married An Jin-hyeon in their 40s, but in early 2003, Ahn died of heart disease at the age of 54. Speech which wind conveys (1985) Official website (in Korean) Dong, Sung-hwa (November 20, 2022). "Veteran singers return to stage amid high expectations". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on November 21, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2022. Yoon, Min-sik (April 18, 2018). "Korean 'King of Pop' lives on after half a century". The Korea Herald. Archived from the original on November 21, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2022. Yoon, Min-sik (May 18, 2018). "[Eye] Cho Yong-pil, king of Korean pop music". The Korea Herald. Archived from the original on November 21, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2022. "Pop legend Cho Yong-pil to hold national tour to mark his 50th anniv". Yonhap News Agency. February 2, 2018. Archived from the original on February 5, 2018. Retrieved February 4, 2018. Baek, Byung-yeul (April 18, 2013). "Cho Yong-pil is still Korean king of pop". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on August 29, 2019. Retrieved February 4, 2018. "Veteran entertainers win cultural order". The Korea Herald. November 10, 2013. Archived from the original on April 23, 2021. Retrieved December 31, 2020. Park, Ji-hoon (December 19, 2013). "올해의 가수는 조용필, 올해의 노래는 '바운스'" ["Singer of the Year is Cho Yong-pil, Song of the Year is 'Bounce'"]. Kookmin Ilbo. Archived from the original on June 11, 2021. Retrieved June 13, 2021 – via Naver. 조용필 소개 [Cho Yong Pil Profile]. Mnet (in Korean). Archived from the original on August 29, 2019. Retrieved February 4, 2018. "What Brought Singer Cho Yong-pil and Soccer Star Park Ji-seong to Jeongok Port? – Gyeonggi Global". Gyeonggi Global. March 12, 2021. Archived from the original on February 1, 2023. Retrieved August 19, 2023. 안성기 "가수 조용필은 진짜 거인...창작 의지 귀감된다". The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). March 13, 2018. Archived from the original on August 14, 2021. Retrieved August 14, 2021. 안성기 "경동중 동창 조용필, 나보다 공부 잘해". The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). September 12, 2013. Archived from the original on August 14, 2021. Retrieved August 14, 2021. Kim, Ji-soo (April 13, 2018). "Legendary singer marks five decades". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on November 21, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2022. Park, Jin-hai (September 29, 2013). "Cho Yong-pil unveils album JM/V Japan". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on November 21, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2022. "조용필의『돌아와요 부산항에』" [Cho Yong-pil's 'Come Back to Busan Port']. The JoongAng Ilbo (in Korean). January 6, 1984. Retrieved June 21, 2025. Kim, Tong-hyung (April 29, 2013). "Cho, Psy clean out K-pop from charts". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on November 21, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2022. 조용필 쇼케이스 인터넷 생중계 25만명 시청...대학축제 섭외 봇물. 헤럴드경제. Archived from the original on April 22, 2023. Retrieved April 24, 2013. "Album Chart – Week 18, 2013". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 21, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2022. 가왕 조용필 출연없이도 가요프로 첫1위..판도 뒤집었다 [Even without the appearance of singer Cho Yong-pil, the first place on a music program was achieved]. Newsen. May 2, 2013. Archived from the original on November 18, 2021. 조용필, 가왕의 힘..! 'Bounce' 2주연속 '뮤뱅' 1위 [Cho Yong-pil, the power of the King of Singers...! 'Bounce' tops 'Music Bank' for 2 weeks in a row]. Star News (in Korean). May 10, 2013. Archived from the original on May 10, 2021. Retrieved November 20, 2022 – via Naver. Baek, Byung-yeul (September 3, 2013). "Singer Cho Yong-pil reissues 14 old albums". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on November 21, 2022. Retrieved November 20,