Cho Yong-pil, one of South Korea’s top singers, will showcase his 19th album, “Hello,” as well as many of his previous hits on a monthlong tour. 

Cho, widely regarded as the representative figure of Korean pop music, will kick off his tour at Seoul Olympic Park’s Gymnastics Stadium on May 31 amid heightened attention to his music following the successful launch of his much-anticipated “Hello” album. The 63-year-old singer will tour Daejeon, Uijeongbu, Jinju and Daegu for a full month.

“I started my career in a band as a guitarist. It was difficult to live as a band member back then. People thought of you as antisocial and rebellious. The situation for rock bands nowadays has gotten much better but there are still prejudices in society if you’re a member of an indie rock band,” said Cho in an interview with the Herald Business, a sister paper of The Korea Herald.

“There are many incredible young indie rock bands out there but not many venues where they can perform,” the musician added. “I want to help create an environment where young musicians can perform and focus on music.”
In order to help the young Korean musicians, Cho will perform at the rock festival Super Sonic 2013, held on Aug. 14-15 at Olympic Park, on one specific condition -- that the event features many young indie bands. 

During this festival, about 20 indie bands will take to the “Hello Stage” to perform their songs. Cho also declined to be paid for his performances at the event. 

Cho’s comeback is also having a real impact outside of the music industry. 

LP Factory, the only company that manufactures LP and vinyl records in Korea, is now back in business. Since its establishment in 2011, it has only produced about 4,300 records. But due to the release of Cho‘s “Hello” last month, the company is currently fully operational with 10,000 orders of Cho’s record waiting to be made. 

Korea’s showbiz industry is also welcoming Cho’s comeback. In a recent episode of “Saturday Night Live Korea,” comedian Jung Sung-ho performed a parody of the veteran singer, wearing sunglasses a wig that accentuated Cho’s particular hairstyle. 

Cho’s “Hello” album sold more than 150,000 copies within a month, and is expected to surpass the sales of 300,000 copies by the end of this year, according to Universal Music. 

“Practicing constantly and giving 100 percent each time I perform has brought me where I am right now,” said Cho.

The singer, who debuted 45 years ago, still follows a strict self-imposed practice schedule, drawing respect from other musicians here.

By Kwon Bum-joon
(bjkwon@heraldcorp.com)