The time has come for the whole family to unite with the 75-year-old King of Kings, Jo Yong-pil. Today (the 6th), you can enjoy the heat of the Gocheok Dome right from your living room.
The KBS grand project for the 80th anniversary of liberation, 'Jo Yong-pil, Forever This Moment,' features the legendary Jo Yong-pil, who spans all generations in South Korea, presenting his solo stage for the first time in 28 years since the 'Big Show' in 1997.
Celebrating his 57th debut anniversary, Jo Yong-pil holds numerous records, including being the first in Korea to have a million-selling single album, the first to surpass 10 million cumulative album sales, the first Korean to win the Japan Golden Disk Award, the first to sell out all seats at the Jamsil Olympic Stadium concert, and the most songs included in music textbooks among domestic pop singers. He is a living legend of the Korean music industry, needing no further introduction.
The concert held at Gocheok Dome on September 6 sold out in just three minutes, receiving a tremendous response.
On the day of the recording, Jo Yong-pil performed 28 songs for about two and a half hours without any guests, captivating an audience of 18,000. The super band 'The Great Birth' (led by Choi Hee-sun (guitar), Lee Tae-yoon (bass), Choi Tae-wan (keyboard), Kim Sun-joong (drums), Lee Jong-wook (keyboard)) also joined, adding significance to the event.
On that day, Jo Yong-pil passionately sang 'The Unknown World,' 'I Can't Find the Nightingale,' 'Pride,' 'My Dear,' 'Reunion in Memories,' 'The Woman Outside the Window,' 'Candlelight,' 'Yesterday, Today, and,' 'Short Hair,' 'Dragonfly,' 'In the Air,' 'The Teahouse of That Winter,' 'Q,' 'Come Back to Busan Port,' 'Forgotten Love,' 'It's Okay,' 'Dream,' 'Where You Stop,' 'Song of the Wind,' 'Eye of the Sun,' 'Fireworks of Asia,' 'I Like You,' 'Moment,' 'Youth Era,' and 'Mona Lisa.'
The audience, including mothers and daughters, friends, and couples of various ages, became one through Jo Yong-pil's songs. He concluded the concert with encore songs 'The Leopard of Kilimanjaro,' 'Bounce,' and 'Let's Go on a Trip.'
It was a performance that revealed why junior artists like IU, Park Jung-hyun, and Younha express their respect by calling him "the one and only living legend." For two and a half hours, Jo Yong-pil showcased his unwavering passion, energy, and consistent stage manners, demonstrating why he is called the 'National Singer' and 'King of Kings.'
That very concert will finally be available at home. Park Ji-young, head of KBS's large-scale events, expressed, "The teacher's performance unites through music, and at some moments, laughing, crying, and singing along together is the essence of emotion," allowing viewers to fully experience that emotional moment.
Han Kyung-cheon, head of the entertainment center, also stated, "There are no more regrets. Rather than my efforts, we have been following him for over ten years. It truly feels like the energy of the heavens has gathered," adding, "For KBS, it will remain a significant and memorable event. Teacher Jo Yong-pil has no need to speak of numbers and records; he is a living legend. The decision to extend the program by 20 minutes was made because there were truly no songs to discard," making it a time for the whole family to enjoy Jo Yong-pil's stage.
'Jo Yong-pil, Forever This Moment' will be broadcast today at 7:20 PM. A behind-the-scenes documentary of the concert, 'Jo Yong-pil, Forever This Moment - The Record of That Day,' will air on the 8th at 7:20 PM.
[Yang So-young, Star Today Reporter]
