Lee Moon-sae, Living Legend of Korean Music Industry, to Tour in U.S.

Famed veteran Korean singer, song writer, and radio DJ Lee Moon-sae will perform in Washington D.C. on June 25, under the title of "Red Sunset" as part of his World Tour Series 2011 throughout three major U.S. cities and four countries.

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"I want to arouse nostalgic sentiment among the audience rather than mere excitement", Lee said in an interview as he explained the concept of his concert. "I want this project to remind overseas Korean populations of old forgotten memories. Hopefully we'll appease their loneliness and longing for their home country and bring them together once again".

In the quickly changing Korean music industry, Lee's slow paced, melodic, and even sentimental music style is still loved and admired both in Korean and in overseas Korean communities.

Born in 1959, Moon Sae Lee debuted as a TV host in 1978. As soon as he became a radio DJ the following year his remarkable emceeing skill rewarded him with tremendous popularity and public recognition. In 1983, he expanded into the music industry as a singer and found his true talent, composing music and writing lyrics himself.

By the time Lee's fourth album was released, he had become a musical icon in Korea throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Despite his busy schedule as a singer, he continued to excel in his original career as a radio DJ through his long-running show This Morning, This is Moon Sae Lee on Korean broadcaster MBC.

Successful in both broadcasting and the music industries, Lee won numerous awards, including the Golden Disk Award, the most prestigious award in Korean music industry, in 1986, 1987, 1988, and 1993, as well as the Radio DJ and Korea Art Award in 2005.

Lee has released a total of 28 albums and has collaborated on 46 albums, having sung more than 500 songs. His songs are still being remade by new Korean singers today, the most popular example being pop group Big Bang's Red Sunset.

Lee's current tour starts in Vancouver on June 10, and passes through San Francisco (June 15), Los Angeles (June 17-18), New York (June 22-23), and Washington DC (June 25), followed by shows in Osaka, Japan, and finally ending in Sydney, Australia. Lee's first U.S. tour took place in 2005.

Regarding his upcoming performances abroad, Lee emphasized his efforts to interact with the audience.

"I want to make this concert a two-way interaction, not just one-way", he said. "I am very excited to present a stage that is perfected with musical content instead of the extravagant, visual performance".

Lee's concert schedule and his recent appearances can be found at his official Korean-language fan page, Lee Moon-sae's Stable, or at the English-language website PowerHouse.

By Erin Kim