BTS hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, and Blackpink recently released a new song, whose music video gained more than 10 million views on YouTube in just an hour. While K-pop idols are gaining international recognition, what topped all the buzz domestically this Chuseok turned out to be Na Hoon-a, a 73-year-old singer-songwriter.

When “trot” ruled the Korean music scene back in the 70s, Na Hoon-a and his rival Nam Jin were the two biggest icons of Korean pop culture. Trot is one of the earliest genres in Korean pop music, characterized by a unique use of vibrato and a vocal technique called kkeok-kki (meaning “snap”), where bends and cracks in the voice add to the plaintive tune. But unlike his rival, Na rarely appeared on television, and from 2008, following his (in)famous press conference where he offered to unzip his trousers to disprove absurd rumors, he made no public appearance for nearly a decade. With the rise of K-pop idols in the late 90s, which built K-pop into a genre as we know it now, and with the disappearance of the trot superstar, trot became music for the old.

But the success of the reality competition shows “Miss Trot” and “Mr Trot” that aired in 2019 and 2020 unexpectedly brought a second boom of trot. People were initially fascinated by young artists singing old songs, but were soon re-absorbed into the charms of the forgotten genre. And in these timely conditions, the very icon of trot himself held a special Chuseok concert that aired for free on KBS 2TV on September 30. His old fans gathered around the television to watch the return of the “emperor”, as fans like to call him. And with Chuseok being a holiday for family time, all generations ended up witnessing his first television appearance in 15 years.

The results were astounding. The virtual concert gained a viewership rating of about 29 percent across the country. Enthusiastic responses from older generations were as expected, but the younger generations in their 20s and 30s who are unfamiliar with Na’s hits were also completely captivated by his performance. Na performed about 30 songs with constantly changing stage settings, and showed that he could pull both the Korean traditional outfit hanbok, and a combination of ripped jeans and a sleeveless top, radiating an unbelievable amount of energy and charisma. But above all, his sincere concerns about the current situation of the world and bold comments targeting politicians won the hearts of all generations. In particular, one of his newest songs, “My bro Tes!”, in which Na calls upon the Greek philosopher Socrates to question his concerns about life, immediately became an internet meme.

It has been more than half a century since Na Hoon-a debuted in 1966. Yet his sincere passion in life and a strong sense of justice that oozes through his work and actions are what keeps his music timeless. Through the special connection he had with all generations this Chuseok, he has proven that he is not a person of the past, but a true living legend.