Sung-bong Choi was a Korean contestants of Korea’s Got Talent show. His inspirational story goes viral through the power of the internet. His powerful baritone voice had captured not only the Koreans but worldwide. His video posted on YouTube had already garnered more than 9 million views.
Choi was a 22-year-old manual laborer who had been living on his own after leaving the orphanage. According to him he left the orphanage for the reasons that he had been beaten by people in the orphanage. He left at the age of 3.
After his short stay at the orphanage he lived at the streets of Daegun, south of Seoul. He survived just by selling gums and energy drinks. He slept on the stairs or on the public toilets. His inspiring story caught the attention not only by the judges but by the audience as a whole.
Choi admitted during his performance that he did not sing well but he was quoted as saying “But when I sing, I feel like I become a different person.” His rendition of the Italian song “Nella Fantasia” (In My Fantasy). During his performance the audience and the judges were so emotional and some of them were in tears.
The young korean streetboy was now a sensational artists not only in Korea but around the world. His story had inspired the likes of Justin Bieber who had been discovered in YouTube also in 2008. Hollywood celebrity blogger Perez Hilton was also one of the few people who had recommended the video.
Here is the video of Sung-bong Choi: Korea’s Got Talent YouTube singing sensation
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BewknNW2b8Y[/youtube]