Boohwal (부활 – Born Again), is a Korean rock band formed in 1985 by the guitarist/songwriter Kim Tae Won (김태원). He changed the name from The End to 부활 (Boohwal) in ‘86 following the departure of the vocalist Kim Jong Seo (김종서). They led the heavy metal boom in the 80’s along with other bands such as Baekdoosan (백두산), Sinawe (시나위), H2O, and Black Hole (블랙홀). Boohwal, Baekdoosan, and Sinawe were called the ‘Big 3’ by the media as they were all led by talented guitarists (Boohwal – Kim Tae Won, Baekdoosan – Kim Do Kyun 김도균, Sinawe – Shin Dae Chul 신대철), had unique talented vocalists and all aimed to create heavy metal music. However, unlike bands like Sinawe, they have been concentrating more on Korean-style melodic rock ballads, especially after their 3rd album.

After receiving high praises in the underground music scene for their music, they became instantly popular once they released their first major album. The album featured the most popular vocalist to come out of Boohwal, Lee Seung Chul (이승철). The title song, "희야" (Heeya) became an instant hit. Kim Tae Won produced bell ringing sounds with his guitar for that song and many aspiring guitarists tried to mimick it. The 2nd album, also with Lee Seung Chul, was also a big success. Their success was a result of many aspects, including Kim Tae Won’s ability to write beautiful songs ranging from rock to ballad, Lee Seung Chul’s ability to sing, and Boohwal’s overall talent for music. However, Lee Seung Chul and Kim Tae Won went their separate ways in 1988. Kim Tae Won worked on many side projects until getting the band together for their 3rd album.

After regrouping, they released their 3rd album in 1993 featuring the hit single “사랑할수록” (Sarang hal soo rok – The More I Love). The album was a success, partly due to the emotional story of Kim Jae Hee (김재희) finishing the recording after his brother, the original vocalist at the start of the recording, Kim Jae Ki (김재기)’s sudden death. Rock music didn’t fare well as they did in the 80’s with the emergence of dance music as the most popular genre of music in the 90’s in Korea. Although Kim Tae Won kept Boohwal (부활) from disappearing as many other rock bands did during that time, they went through many lineup changes.

In 2002, they teamed up with Lee Seung Chul (이승철) again, releasing their 8th album 새벽 (Sae Byuk – Dawn). The title song, “Never Ending Story” was one of the most popular songs that year. With this album they not only regained popularity among the older fans who remember them from the 80’s but also teenagers who thought 이승철 was a newcomer. Although most people welcomed the new album, some critics argued that Boohwal’s music had become too soft, especially Kim Tae Won’s style of playing the guitar.

2005 marked Boohwal’s 20th year anniversary. They have been one of the most prominent Korean bands, making music for more than 20 years. They continue to create melodic rock with talented vocalists and talented musicians. Many popular singers went through Boohwal including Kim Jong Seo, Lee Seung Chul, Park Wan Kyu (박완규), and others.

Lineups:

1st (1985) – Vocals: Kim Jong Seo (김종서) Guitar: Kim Tae Won (김태원), Lee Ji Woong (이지웅) Bass: Lee Tae Yoon (이태윤) Drums: Hwang Tae Soon (황태순)
Albums: None

2nd (1985-87) – Vocals: Lee Seung Chul (이승철) Guitar: Kim Tae Won (김태원), Lee Ji Woong (이지웅) Bass: Kim Byung Chan (김병찬) Drums: Hwang Tae Soon (황태순)
Albums: 1st Album Rock Will Never Die

3rd (1987-88) – Vocals: Lee Seung Chul (이승철) Guitar: Kim Tae Won (김태원) Bass: Jung Jun Kyo (정준교) Drums: Kim Sung Tae (김성태) Keyboards: Seo Young Jin (서영진)
Albums: 2nd Album 회상 (Remember)

4th (1993-95) – Vocals: Kim Jae Ki (김재기) Guitar: Kim Tae Won (김태원)
Albums: 3rd Album 기억상실 (Loss of Memory)

5th (1995-97) – Vocals: Kim Jae Hee (김재희) Guitar: Kim Tae Won (김태원) Bass: Jung Jun Kyo (정준교) Drums: Kim Sung Tae (김성태)
Albums: 4th Album 잡념에 관하여

6th (1997-99) – Vocals: Park Wan Kyu (박완규) Guitar: Kim Tae Won (김태원) Bass: Jung Jun Kyo (정준교) Drums: Jung Dong Cheol (정동철)
Albums: 5th Album 불의 발견 (Discovery of Fire)

7th (1999-00) – Vocals: Kim Ki Yeon (김기연) Guitar: Kim Tae Won (김태원) Bass: Jung Jun Kyo (정준교) Drums: Chae Jer Min (채제민) Keyboards: Choi Seung Chan (최승찬)
Albums: 6th Album 理想(이상) 시선 (Ideal Sight)

8th (2000-02) – Vocals: Lee Sung Wook (이성욱) Guitar: Kim Tae Won (김태원) Bass: Seo Jae Hyuk (서재혁) Drums: Kim Kwan Jin (김관진) Keyboards: Eum Soo Han (엄수한)
Albums: 7th Album Color

9th (2002-03) – Vocals: Lee Seung Chul (이승철) Guitar: Kim Tae Won (김태원) Bass: Seo Jae Hyuk (서재혁) Drums: Kim Kwan Jin (김관진) Keyboards: Eum Soo Han (엄수한)
Albums: 8th Album 새,벽 (Bird, Wall)

10th (2003-05) – Vocals: Jung Dan (정단) Guitar: Kim Tae Won (김태원) Bass: Seo Jae Hyuk (서재혁) Drums: Chae Jer Min (채제민) Keyboards: Eum Soo Han (엄수한)
Albums: 9th Album Over the Rainbow

10th (2005-Present) – Vocals: Jung Dong Ha (정동하) Guitar: Kim Tae Won (김태원) Bass: Seo Jae Hyuk (서재혁) Drums: Chae Jer Min (채제민) Keyboards: Eum Soo Han (엄수한)
Albums: 10th Album 抒精 (서정), 11th Album 사랑 (Love)

Discography

Albums

1986 : Rock Will Never Die
1987 : 회상 (Remember)
1993 : 기억상실 (Loss of Memory)
1995 :잡념에 관하여
1997 :불의 발견 (Discovery of Fire)
1999 :理想(이상) 시선 (Ideal Sight)
2000 :COLOR
2002 :새,벽 (Bird, Wall)
2003 :Over the Rainbow
2005 : 抒精 (서정)
2006 :사랑 (Love)