Trot legend Hyun Chul, one of the 'Four Kings of Trot,' remembered on second anniversary of his passing

Two years have passed since trot singer Hyun Chul died on July 16, 2024. He was 82 and had been ill for some time.

Hyun Chul was born in 1942. He studied Business Administration at Dong-A University but left before finishing. His debut came in 1969 with Mujunghan Geudae. Through the 1970s, he fronted Hyun Chul and the Bees (현철과 벌떼들) in Busan. The group broke up in the 1980s, and he went solo.

That's when everything clicked. Anjeuna Seona Dangsin Saenggak, Sarangeun Nabiin gabwa, and Cheongsyuneul Dollyeodao all hit during that decade. By the late '80s, he was unstoppable. Bongseonhwa Yeonjeong won the KBS Gayo Daesang in 1989. Silta Sireo won it again in 1990. Back-to-back. He joined the so-called Four Kings of Trot alongside Song Dae-gwan, Tae Jin-a, and Sul Woon-do—the shorthand for trot's dominant era.

His last regular broadcast was a 2018 appearance on KBS 1TV's Gayo Mudae. Health issues forced him to step back. In 2020, he made one final television appearance on KBS 2TV's Immortal Songs as a legend singer with Ha Chun-hwa. Nerve damage from cervical disc surgery had taken its toll.

His funeral was held as a National Singer's Funeral (대한민국가수장). Former President Yoon Suk-yeol and Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Yoo In-chon sent condolence wreaths. Sul Woon-do, Hyun-suk, Kim Heung-guk, Joo Hyun-mi, Jang Yoon-jeong, Park Sang-chul, Kim Yeon-ja, Jang Min-ho, and Young-tak attended.

Over his career, he received the Special Contribution Award at the Korea Entertainment Arts Awards and the Okgwan Order of Cultural Merit (옥관문화훈장).