Jang Sa-ik said that he felt refreshed and happy that he was able to connect with Korean fans in the United States. / Courtesy of the Happy Messengers

By Seo Dong-shin
Staff Reporter

Jang Sa-ik, an iconic Korean pop singer who successfully finished his first U.S. tour last month, said that he is proud to have refreshed a sense of identity among Koreans living in the United States.

``I feel so refreshed and happy,'' said the 58-year-old, with his warm, trademark smile. On Wednesday, five days after returning home, he held a meeting with reporters at Lock Museum in Daehangno, Seoul. Jang's U.S. tour in June, titled ``Longing …'' had four stops in major U.S. cities: New York, Chicago, Washington, and Los Angeles.

``I think I crossed the Pacific with a bundle of doenjang,'' Jang said, referring to the traditional Korean soybean paste. ``It's a smell that makes foreigners frown and cover their nose, but I do think its characteristic is particularly Korean.''

The veteran singer thinks it is an allegory for the music style he pursues. In his opinion, there is no way Koreans can achieve success by simply following in the footsteps of the glamorous Western style of pop music.

``No matter how well we may bring it out, it's just imitation in the end,'' he said. True Korean music is ``slow-tempered, but accentuated with spicy bites like garlic or red pepper.''

In the United States, elderly Korean immigrants, visibly emotional, later called on him to tell the stories to their children who suddenly began showing interest in their roots after having seen the concert. This naturally delighted the singer, who has a cult following among Korean adults here. Even foreigners, who could not understand the lyrics of the songs, according to Jang, ``seemed to understand as much as pink when I sang red.''

While the concerts did not sell out, it was perhaps the first time that a Korean singer toured the United States without any sponsors or government subsidies. No free invitations were sent out. Nevertheless, at the 2,700-seat New York City Center, about 2,300 audience members paid for tickets, priced from $40-$100. Although at the Chicago Auditorium Theatre, only 1,600 paid for entry at the 3,700-seat venue, at the 2,000-seat Strathmore in Maryland about 1,740 tickets sold. At the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, the approximately 3,000 seats were sold out.

Jang's feat is notable, especially when a superstar like Rain saw the American leg of his world tour flop due to lack of managerial experience, conflicts of interests among promotion companies and local regulations that were not met.

``I think we need to prepare our own team properly and take it to the U.S. market instead of relying on local systems there,'' Ko Wan-sun, wife of Jang, who as CEO of the company ``The Happy Messengers'' organized the entire tour, which included more than 20 staff members and session musicians.

According to Ko, about 840 million won was spent on staff and performance costs. About 682 million was recovered from ticket and CD sales. Overall, it was a 17.2 percent loss, Ko said.

``There will be regional tours across Korea this autumn, to make up the loss,'' Ko said, laughing.

Jang is considering touring the United States once more and possibly also Japan next year.

saltwall@koreatimes.co.kr