Joyful days

In 1979, Park Yeongpil was born as the youngest of three siblings in Mangmi-dong of Yeonje-gu, Busan. His father who was a taxi driver did not bring enough money for living, so her mother had to sell fish in Yongho Market to raise three children.
Because he could not afford to pay for university tuition fee, he spent his middle school years on playing the guitar and singing before graduation. As he wanted to make money to help his mom financially, he entered the Dept. of Automobile in Songji Technical High School. And he entered the Dept. of Electronic Calculation in Tongmyong College as the major was related to computer which was a lot popular at that time. 
After completing the first semester, Korea faced the hardship called IMF period. There was no way for him to pay for tuition fee. To take shelter from the rain of IMF, he applied for military service. 

Abnormal symptoms 

After completing his military service, he graduated from school. In the middle of working as an internet AS engineer, he moved to Seoul to find a better job. After moving to a small study room, he was writing his resume, and he felt something wrong with his arms all of a sudden. He could not flex his arms. 
He sensed something wrong in his body. He packed his bag and then came back to Busan. When he visited a small clinic in town, the doctor advised him to visit a big hospital. He got a complete medical examination like CT and MRI in Paik Hospital. 
Getting diagnosed with a rare incurable disease called ‘moyamoya disease’, he had a left-brain surgery. After taking care of himself a bit, he got ready for civil service examination, and things started looking blurred. When he visited a hospital again, the doctor said that his left optic nerve was getting paralyzed, and he should get a right-brain surgery. After the surgery, the paralysis of arms and legs got better a bit while he still had blurred vision. 
The doctor said they should wait and see the progress for about six months. Even after coming back home, his eyesight was getting worse. Because of his eyesight, his future also seemed to be bleak. 

Looking for a new path

His friend who was looking for information about visually-impaired people online, told him to register as disabled. In 2008, he was registered as visual impairment Grade1. And he learnt braille in a welfare center for the disabled. He got close to a braille teacher in the same age group with him. One day, they went to karaoke after having dinner together. 
“Wow, Yeongpil. Are you a singer? You are such a great singer.”
On that day, Yeongpil simply regarded the teacher’s complement as meaningless, but the braille teacher actively recommended him to study singing. 
“You can major in music at Seoul Hanbit Blind School. It is a two-year-course. If you complete the course, you will be able to become a vocalist.”
With the braille teacher’s recommendation, he had an audition in Hanbit Blind School, and then passed it. He decided to enter the school without hesitation. Studying about vocal music from 2009, Yeongpil was involved in choir activities. After graduation, he was able to perform stable musical activities as a member of Hanbit Arts composed of blind musicians. There were many opportunities for overseas performance. The overseas audiences showed more passionate responses than domestic audiences, so Yeongpil recharged his energy from overseas performance as he could get encouraged and also enjoy the culture of each country. 

Park Yeongpil is a happy man.    

Park Yeongpil is a vocalist with various repertoires, which means he is a competent hard worker. Once he sings an aria ‘Una furtiva lagrima’, the audiences automatically close their eyes and get absorbed into the song. As the song fully contains his life story he’s been through, his sincere heart is fully represented. 
Seven years ago, his father passed away. His mother who endured all the hardships under poverty and diseases, is currently living in his hometown, Busan. His mother who was always worried about her son, was really happy when he got married five years ago. In 2016, he got to know a Japanese woman in an online space for language study, and then he got married to her in 2018. 
Participating in more than 100 times of performance a year as a member of Hanbit Arts makes Park Yeongpil happy. Singing songs as much as he wants, he is a truly happy man with a small dream of standing on the stage of Seoul Arts Center.
     

Park Yeongpil
Male, visual impairment, vocal music  
Dept. of Social Welfare in Sejong Cyber University  

Soloist of Hanbit Arts 

Excellence Award in the field of vocal music in the Culture & Arts Contest for the Disabled

2021~2019 MUSIC in the DARK of Hanbit Arts
2017 Concert tour of Hanbit Arts in three cities, invited by Sao Paulo State Government, Brazil, and many others