7.Kim Hong-chul, the father of the Korean yodel

Since the 1990s, Kim Hong-chul left Canadian immigration. There were short-terms records and writing works in 1997, but his activities in Korea were very limited. In fact, he had been living in tough immigration and busy business so he almost forgot the yodels. Then one day he accidentally heard his old yodel again, and Kim Hong-chul comes back to Korea with the longing for the yodels and the homeland.

And finally in 2003, "김홍철과 친구들Kim Hong-chul and his friends" were reorganized with new members. At last, "Kim Hong-chul and his friends" resume their performances and broadcasting activities in Korea.

The Last Yodeler(1997)

In 1997, "The Last Yodeler" was released, and Kim Hong-chul came back again in Korea. This new album was also based by his former hit yodels, but he mixed up the new genres as like hip-hop, jazz, pop, rock and so on.

So the contemporary folk sensibility yodels in the 70s were reborn by the new atmospheres of the 90s. In "아름다운 베르네 산골The beautiful Berner valley"sang with rap, and the jazzy blue note melodies flows at "아름다운 산장the beautiful Mountain Cabin".

Kim Hong-chul and his friends  <Photo courtesy>: Hong Yong-hwa

In 2003, Kim Hong-chul broke out of the long vacancy and re-established 'Kim Hong-chul and his friends' with new members and resumes full-scale activities.

Performed at the Yongin Everland Alpine Village (2003)  <Photo courtesy> Hong Yong-hwa

The 30th Anniversary Concert (1997) / Photo courtesy: Hong Yong-hwa

"Edelweiss in Vancouver", Kim's Canadian Life and his Yodel Story (1997)  / Photo courtesy: Hong Yong-hwa

After-party performances at North Korean restaurants in Shanghai, China (2006)
/ Photo courtesy:  Yoon Woo-hyun

"The Kim's Modi Kappelle", a Korean Örgeli band that participated in the '07 Swiss folk music festival 
/ Photo courtesy: Hong Yong-hwa

Performances at Sejong Cultural Center(2007) / Photo courtesy: Hong Yong-hwa

KBS Open concert appearance (2008)

Kim Hong-chul and his friends

In 1997, 신나라레코드Sinnara label made compilation album named "The most listenable Korean popular music in Summer ". In this album, 푸른 창공에 로프를 던져라Throw the rope in the blue sky' by Kim Hong-chul selected as the top 12 in this album.

Kim Hong-chul was the only person who has acted as a popular singer in Korea with Yodel, furthermore nobody can unequaled him.

I do not know if there was another singer in Korea that has made such a unique musical achievement in their own genre as like him.

The first person to sing Yodel in Korean broadcasting was 전항Cheon Hang. 전은수Cheon Un-soo, younger brother of Cheon Hang and 권성희Kwon Seung-hee organized 새샘 트리오Sea-Seam Trio. After that, 전은수Cheon Un-soo have been working on a team with 이태원Itaewon. And then Mr. 서수남Suh Soo-nam has come out, he had a duet song "정말로 너무해You are too much for me" with 현혜경Hyun Hye-kyoung, the dauther of 현인Hyun In, the Korean legend singer. The yodel refrain got in this song, maybe that was the first woman-man yodeling duet on the broadcasting in Korea.

And Kim Hong-chul appeared. The above mentioned people's were the singers based by the country music, so their yodeling was just small sauce in their full performances, but Kim Hong-chul was majored in yodeling from the Switzerland and also showed new musical instruments such as Alphorn, Accordion and the traditional yodel costume. Kim settled the genre of yodel -music in Korea. Until now, there was no professional yodeler on the Korean broadcasting except him.

- Lee Doo-jin (the Leader of Dul-dasut, 70s Korean contemporay folk music band)

In the Canadian Rockies / Photo courtesy: Hong Yong-hwa

Kim Hong-chul had been the unique footstep as a popular singer who spreads Yodel to Korea, but more crucially fact was that he was the first man who created a lot of amateur yodel clubs in Korea.

Kim realized the charm and possibility of the Swiss Yodel Club through his Swiss yodeling tour. so he has been actively involved in making Yodel Clubs in Korea.

From the late 1960s to the early 1980s, he was involved the birth of all amateur yodel clubs in Korea. As a result, there are about 20 amateur yodel clubs fully doing active in Korea.

This is the unique phenomenon not found anywhere else in the world, except Switzerland and the Swiss immigrants around the world.

In fact, the activities of the amateur yodel clubs being lead the maintenance & development of the Korean yodels. If the amateur yodel clubs were not exist, the Korean yodel could not preserved. No yodeler can deny this fact in Korea.

The birth of the amateur yodel clubs began with the dedicated yodel-class by Kim Hong-chul.

Kim Hong-chul with the members of the Korea Edelweiss Jodel Club, the first yodel club in Korea

Some say; there are so many people love Yodel in Korea, therefore even without Kim Hong-chul, someone would have done it.

There are people everywhere who spread arrogant, ignorant, and bad words. Originally, easier said than done.

Kim Hong-chul was the first person to design and ultimately build the status of these Korean yodels. So it is literally justifiable to call him the father of the Korean Yodel.

Kim Hong-chul went to Switzerland to study Yodel who happened to be on the radio during high school days, and then came back to Korea and worked as a yodeler in many parts of Korea.

And now,  Korea is becoming one of the famous yodeling country in the world.

This precious fairy tale continues with stories of the amateur yodel clubs that will be born nationwide in Korea.