Radio DJ legend lights up TV variety show

Bae Chul-soo from JTBC's "Non-Summit" / Screen capture from Naver tvcast

Radio show host Bae Chul-soo showed on Monday his legendary reputation as a DJ has bought him praise and respect when he appeared as a guest on the TV variety show

“Non-Summit.”

On the weekly JTBC program -- where 12 celebrities from different countries debate a topic -- Bae, 62, talked about whether sticking to classic pops might tarnish one’s social standing, or was it a legitimate musical taste.

A former member of rock band “Songolmae,” meaning falcon, from 1979 until 1991 and host of MBC’s ongoing global pop music show “Bae Chul-soo’s Music Camp” since 1990, Bae talked about world singers who have been on his radio show.

Songolmae, with Bae second from left / Korea Times file

He also joined a discussion about which songs were good for a marriage proposal or for ex-girlfriends over the Christmas holiday season.

Italy’s Alberto Mondi, Ghana’s Samuel Okyere and Germany’s Daniel Lindemann performed Songolmae's hit song from 1982. Bae, despite the laughable quality of the performance, praised the efforts.

Debuting in 1978 as a member of college rock band Hwaljooro, Bae’s tenure as a DJ has earned him many accolades, including the MBC Best Acting Award in 1998 and 2004 and the MBC Golden Mouth Award in 2010.

Bae in the MBC radio booth for "Bae Chul-soo’s Music Camp" / Courtesy of MBC

In 2010, Bae celebrated the 20th anniversary of his radio show by releasing 100 international pop albums that he thought represented contemporary times.

The albums included his short written comments.