DistantNews
Support us
🇰🇷 South Korea /Culture & Society

Singer Song Chang-sik Recalls Two Years Homeless After Leaving High School: ‘I Joined C’est Si Bon Because They Said They Would Feed Me’

From Dong-A Ilbo · () Korean

Translated from Korean and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources New plan
  • Singer Song Chang-sik said he left Seoul Arts High School after losing confidence and spent two years without a fixed place to live.
  • He recalled joining the C’est Si Bon club after being told he would receive food for singing, describing it as an opportunity to eat.
  • The television appearance also revisited the origins of Jeong Mi-jo’s song “Flame,” its sudden designation as a banned song, Song’s self-designed modernized hanbok and an upcoming joint concert.

Song Chang-sik says hunger, rather than ambition, first drew him to Seoul’s famed C’est Si Bon music scene. After dropping out of high school, he spent two years without a fixed home before hearing that he could get a meal by singing there.

The singer shared the story on MBN’s “Kim Joo-ha’s Day and Night,” where he appeared with Jeong Mi-jo to discuss their long musical careers and lesser-known episodes from their lives. Song had entered the vocal music department at Seoul Arts High School with high hopes, but said he lost confidence after comparing himself with classmates from wealthy families who had studied music from an early age.

I realized how much of a frog in a well I had been.

· Song Chang-sikHe recalled losing confidence after comparing himself with classmates at Seoul Arts High School.

“I realized how much of a frog in a well I had been,” Song recalled. He said the experience also shaped the smiling expression that later became familiar to the public. “The fact that I have a smiling face like I do now was also greatly influenced by that time. I could not have endured it without a smiling face,” he said.

The fact that I have a smiling face like I do now was also greatly influenced by that time. I could not have endured it without a smiling face.

· Song Chang-sikHe described how his difficult school years influenced his personality.

Song described his years without a stable home matter-of-factly, saying he could sleep even in the narrowest place in the world. His connection with C’est Si Bon began during that period. “I joined C’est Si Bon because they said they would feed me,” he said. “For me, it was an opportunity to eat.”

The program also revealed that “Flame,” released in 1975 and written and composed by Song, was originally intended for singer Jeong Hoon-hee rather than Jeong Mi-jo. Jeong Mi-jo said she learned that detail only the day before the broadcast. After becoming popular, the song was suddenly banned. Jeong said nobody knew the exact reason, and she could not perform it on stage until she left to study in France.

I joined C’est Si Bon because they said they would feed me. For me, it was an opportunity to eat.

· Song Chang-sikHe explained why he joined the music club during his years without a fixed home.

Song also said he designed his trademark modernized hanbok himself. After attending an international event in Hong Kong in 1975, he concluded that hanbok best suited Koreans and spent about four years making more than 100 modernized garments. He said he also built his current home himself after studying architecture books and preparing the plans for five years. Song, Jeong Mi-jo and guitarist Ham Chun-ho are scheduled to hold a joint concert on Oct. 16.

In fact, I did not make it for Ms. Jeong Mi-jo. I originally made it to give to Jeong Hoon-hee.

· Song Chang-sikHe revealed the original intended recipient of the song “Flame.”
About this summary

Originally published by Dong-A Ilbo in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

More Stories

From Our Blog