’20th Century Hit Song’ revealed its rankings under the theme “I’m the teacher, you’re the student! Music Industry Teachers Hit Song.”
In the May 15 broadcast of KBS Joy’s ’20th Century Hit Song’ (Episode 313), the show introduced representative mentors of the music industry who led the growth of junior singers, along with their hit songs.
The top spot went to Park Sun-joo’s “Way Home.” A silver prize winner at the 1989 Gangbyeon Song Festival, “Way Home” was widely loved for its addictive melody and lyrics capturing the feelings of returning home after a breakup.
Park Sun-joo caught attention as she was introduced as being more famous as a “vocal teacher” than as a singer. Known for her Spartan-style teaching that awakens the vocal cords, she is evaluated as a first-generation vocal trainer who laid the foundation for vocal education in Korea. It was explained that she has taught approximately 20,000 students, making her like a “K-vocal training center” that about 40% of Korean singers have passed through.
Her representative students include top-tier singers across various genres, such as Kim Bum-soo, Yoon Mirae, Lee Jae-hoon of Cool, and Kim Chang-yeol of DJ DOC. Hearing this, Kim Heechul couldn’t hide his surprise, saying, “The generations are one thing, but the genres are so diverse.”
In particular, Kim Bum-soo was introduced as a favorite student who changed Park Sun-joo’s life, drawing interest. Kim Bum-soo previously shared an anecdote that after singing for Park Sun-joo for the first time, he was told, “You really have nothing,” and was scolded during both lunch and dinner. Watching the clip, Kim Heechul sparked laughter by reacting with surprise, asking, “Did Kim Bum-soo hyung actually cry?”
It was also revealed that actors received training from Park Sun-joo. Before his acting debut, Won Bin seriously prepared for an idol debut under Park Sun-joo’s vocal training and even auditioned for H.O.T., but unfortunately failed because he didn’t fit the concept. Additionally, Lee Byung-hun received training from Park Sun-joo while preparing for his 2008 single album “Someday,” which reportedly gained attention on the Oricon chart.
To this, Kim Heechul expressed his admiration for Park Sun-joo, calling her “in a way, the tamer of many singers’ voices.”
Meanwhile, the 2nd place was taken by Toy’s “That I Lived Beside You for a While,” 3rd by Solid’s “My Own Friend,” 4th by Big Mama’s “Refusal,” 5th by Im Jae-bum’s “Flight,” and 6th by Lim Jeong-hee’s “Music is My Life.” Following them, 7th was Light and Salt’s “Shampoo Fairy,” 8th was Jang Hye-jin’s “Conversation of Dreams,” 9th was Kwon Jin-won’s “As You Live,” and 10th was Vibe’s “Looking at the Photo.”
