The Group Will Sing National Anthem as Support Song During World Cup
By Han Eun-jung
Staff Reporter
Four years after its version of "Arirang" sent fans of the national team in the 2002 World Cup into an even bigger frenzy, the Yoon Band is set to sing another national song to a rock beat.
The Yoon Band has wrapped up recording a punchy powerful take on South Korea's national anthem which they will sing as a support song, the group's management company said Monday.
"The group believed that for a national anthem to truly be a national anthem it should be a song that the people can sing whenever and wherever, which is why we decided to sing it as a support song", Yoon said through a press relief.
"It will first be presented in a nationally televised SK Telecom commercial that hits the airwaves on Feb. 22", said Tak Hyun-min, a spokesperson for Daeum Music Live Contents Group.
Since their 1994 debut, the four-piece rock outfit fronted by vocal Yoon Do-hyeon ("Skitter D.H") has put out hits like "Sarang Two", "Saranghalgoya", and "Chuktunji-maldunji".
In 2002, the band was behind two songs that served as rallying cries during Seoul's co-hosting of the 2002 World Cup with Japan. The songs that became synonymous with the Korean national team's success _ "Arirang" and "Oh! Pilsung Korea".
According to SK Telecom the advertisement, produced with the intention of again promoting national spirit, features Yoon break into a high school assembly where he delivers the national anthem in his signature roaring vocals with the students joining in soon after.
Given the nature of the song in many ways the group was cautious in the interpreting process, Yoon said.
To avoid criticism that they are exploiting the national anthem for their own success, the band said they will see to it that the song can be freely downloaded.
Yoon, with guitarist Heo Joon "Baby J"(), Kim Jin-won ("Jin") and bassist Park Tae-hee ("Taehee"), since cutting their teeth on a low-budget independent album issued in 1994, has put out five more studio albums and three special albums.
They are today one of the best popular rock acts on the scene. Their most recent nationwide tour, which wrapped up in February 2005, was the most popular draw that year.
The Yoon Band also became the first Korean outfit to tour Europe last year.
Yoon and the band embarked on tour March 2005, that took them to venues in five countries including London's famed Astoria.
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