Jo Young-nam mourns C'est Si Bon's Lee Baek-chun, 'commander-in-chief of Korean folk,' who dies at 93

C'est Si Bon's Lee Baek-chun dies at 93; Jo Young-nam mourns 60 years of Ddolgang

Former TBC PD pioneered Korea's acoustic-guitar movement in 1964; funeral procession set for 7 a.m. on the 23rd

Lee Baek-chun, a popular-music critic who served as a mentor to Korean 'folk music' in the 1960s and '70s and led the acoustic-guitar movement centered around Mugyo-dong's 'C'est Si Bon', died on the 21st at 93. The late critic left a major mark on the history of Korean popular music. Singer 'Jo Young-nam' mourned him as the "commander-in-chief and leader of Korean folk music."

The era of Ddolgang, a cradle of youth culture

Born in 1933 in Hwanghae Province north of the 38th parallel, he moved to Seoul with his physician father and first picked up an instrument in the band at Jungang Middle School. He later honed his skills with the Jinhae Naval Band and the U.S. 8th Army band 'Aton' before joining TBC (Tongyang Broadcasting Corporation) as a PD in 1964 and embarking on a career as a producer and organizer.

His encounter with the music-listening room 'C'est Si Bon' fundamentally reshaped Korean popular music. He had stopped by to find records and ended up becoming a DJ, hosting programs including 'College Students' Night' and 'Date with Petit Lee' and helping ignite youth culture. Singers of the time affectionately called him 'Ddolgang,' a nickname that became his lifelong byname.

In a later interview, he recalled, "Once live stages became available, 'Jo Young-nam', 'Yoon Hyung-joo', 'Song Chang-sik' and 'Lee Jang-hee' would gather with their guitars." He also remembered Jo Young-nam's youthful days in a school uniform with shaggy hair and Song Chang-sik singing Italian art songs. His passion did not fade after 'C'est Si Bon' closed in 1969. In 1970, he opened 'Cheonggaeguri House' at the Myeongdong YWCA, where he organized stages for such prominent stars as 'Kim Min-ki', 'Yang Hee-eun' and 'Seo Yoo-seok'.

Maestro behind the stage, mentor forever

Although he was not a singer, he directed the forefront of 'folk music' while working variously as a PD, producer and concert director. He served on the expert committee for the cultural festivals of the 1988 Seoul Olympics and the Daejeon Expo, as well as on the KBS Audience Committee, contributing broadly to the cultural world. In 2002, he sang 'Journey Through Memories' himself on an omnibus album with younger artists. In 2014, he published the book 'Lee Baek-chun's Musical Journey,' demonstrating that his passion had not waned.

His office served as both a first stop for aspiring singers and a welcoming salon. One well-known folk singer recalled it as "a place like a judging room, where he never held back either praise or stinging criticism." 'Jo Young-nam' also honored him as "the central figure in modern Korean music, someone who mingled freely with young singers."

Survivors include his daughter, 'Lee So-yeon', former director of the National Archives of Korea at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, and his son-in-law, 'Jeong Jun-young', a professor at Korea National Open University. The funeral home is Room 4 at Seoul National University Hospital Funeral Hall, and the funeral procession will depart at 7 a.m. on the 23rd.