Lee Seung-chul Chosen to Lead KBS Chuseok Grand Project With Special Stage Tracing 40 Years in Music

Photo courtesy of 2026 KBS Chuseok Grand Project, "Your Life Is a Never Ending Story - Lee Seung-chul."

KBS will mark the 2026 Chuseok holiday with a special concert spotlighting the musical life of Lee Seung-chul, one of the singers who has come to represent South Korean popular music. The project is being prepared as a stage that looks back on the career of an artist whose songs have remained closely tied to listeners across generations.

The broadcaster said it has scheduled "2026 KBS Chuseok Grand Project - Your Life Is a Never Ending Story, Lee Seung-chul" and will hold the concert on August 1 at Inspire Arena. A recorded broadcast of the performance will later be shown to viewers on KBS 2TV during the Chuseok holiday period.

KBS's Chuseok Grand Project has been a holiday-season series focused on artists who have left a major mark on the history of Korean popular culture. It previously presented Na Hoon-a's "Korea Again Na Hoon-a" in 2020 and Cho Yong-pil's "This Moment Forever" in 2025. This year, Lee Seung-chul, who is marking the 40th anniversary of his debut, has been selected as the central figure.

The upcoming concert has been planned around "Never Ending Story," one of Lee Seung-chul's signature songs and a track that has been loved for many years. Through music, the stage is expected to unfold emotions accumulated over time, including the excitement of first love, memories of parting, comfort in life and hope, drawing out both nostalgia and empathy from the audience.

Rather than simply presenting a list of hit songs, the production will be built as a look back at the memories of different eras that have flowed alongside Lee Seung-chul's music. Beloved songs that carry moments of love and youth, challenge and growth will be reshaped into a cross-generational story, offering a special experience for both the audience in the venue and viewers watching the broadcast.

Since making his debut in 1986, Lee Seung-chul has helped lead the flow of Korean popular music with numerous hit songs, including "Hee-ya," "Don't Say Goodbye," "Girls' Generation," "Wandering," "Today, Again, I," "Fate," "Western Sky," "No One Else Like That" and "Never Ending Story." With a broad musical range spanning rock, ballads and pop, as well as acclaimed live performance skills, he has continued to perform more than 2,000 times and earned the title "Emperor of Live Performance."

Inspire Arena, the concert venue, is South Korea's first dedicated professional arena, equipped with sightline design optimized for watching performances and a world-class sound system. KBS plans to open every seat for Lee Seung-chul's stage free of charge and combine broadcast technology with concert direction to deliver the vivid emotion of the live site to viewers.

The production team said, "We are preparing this year's Chuseok Grand Project with Lee Seung-chul, one of South Korea's representative vocalists. Through his music, which has been loved across generations, we will create a stage where people can share memories and emotion together."

As songs that have been loved steadily over many years gather in one place, the concert is expected to become a music festival that will make the Chuseok holiday period feel even more special.