Lee Seung Chul's 40th anniversary special hits 6.1% peak rating

The KBS Chuseok special celebrating the 40th debut anniversary of singer Lee Seung Chul concluded by ranking first in its time slot, even while competing against a national soccer A-match.

The finale music show of the KBS 2TV Chuseok special 'Your Life Is a Never Ending Story — Lee Seung Chul', which aired at 7:30 PM on the 24th, saw its second and third parts rank first in viewership ratings for the same time slot. The peak viewership rating reached 6.1% (based on Nielsen Korea national households).

The stage unfolded Lee Seung Chul's 150-minute musical journey marking his 40th debut anniversary. A total of 26 live performances were accompanied by the 'Emperor Band' and a 30-piece string orchestra, creating a massive music show as 12,000 audience members filled the venue and sang along.

The performance began with Lee Seung Chul's representative song 'Heeya'. Appearing from a 7m high cube, Lee opened the stage by descending on an aerial lift. He followed this with a succession of long-beloved hits such as 'There Is No One Else Like That', 'The Last Concert', and 'A Long Day'.

Lee expressed his desire to look back on the past with the audience, stating that over the past 40 years, his songs have become part of first loves, youth, memories with loved ones, and sometimes songs that provide comfort. Audience members of various ages, from the 2030 generation to middle-aged and older adults, enjoyed the stage by singing along.

The production's quality was enhanced by rich sound and large-scale direction. The Emperor Band, which has worked with Lee for a long time, was joined by a 30-piece string orchestra, and three-dimensional sound utilizing speakers throughout the venue was added. Aerial lifts, large LED screens, lasers, and drones were also utilized according to the songs. During the 'It's Raining' stage, Lee moved closer to the audience using a moving device to interact directly with them.

A surprise appearance by actor Park Bo Gum also drew significant attention. Park took the stage playing the piano himself and sang 'I Love You Very Much' with Lee. The two, who formed a connection through the music video for this song in the past, met again on stage to receive great cheers from the audience.

In the latter half of the performance, 'My Love', 'Wandering', and 'Today I Again' were newly arranged to heighten the atmosphere. For the 'Girls' Generation' stage, group choreography by dancers centered around Hyojin Choi and Rihey was added. During 'Shout', a production was staged where a large air balloon shaped like Lee flew across the audience.

The climax of the performance was 'Never Ending Story'. As the singing of 12,000 audience members joined Lee's voice, it symbolically demonstrated the time the singer and fans have built together over the past 40 years.

Returning to the encore stage, Lee promised to continue singing good songs and concluded the performance by performing 'Amateur', 'Jasmine Flower', and 'Fate' in succession.

With this, the 2026 KBS 2TV Chuseok special 'Your Life Is a Never Ending Story — Lee Seung Chul' completed its three-part journey. Previously, a documentary highlighted Lee's 40-year musical life and his obsession with music, and the variety show 'A Song Has Arrived' captured him visiting people's lives to deliver songs.

The final music show condensed his 40-year musical life through Lee's live performances. Through the documentary, variety show, and music show, the 2026 KBS Chuseok special concluded by sequentially highlighting 'Musician Lee Seung Chul', 'Person Lee Seung Chul', and 'King of Live Lee Seung Chul'.