[5] He was recognized with the Eungwan Order of Cultural Merit for his enormous impact on the South Korean pop music scene.

[7] Cho Yong-pil was born in Songsan-myeon, Hwaseong, South Korea, on March 21, 1950[8][9] and spent part of his childhood in Seoul.

Cho's debut single as a soloist, "Come Back to Busan Port [ja]", brought him national attention when it was released in 1976, later becoming a hit in Japan.

[5] His commercial success declined after the rise of the group Seo Taiji and Boys and many other young musicians.

[citation needed] The following year, he became the first South Korean singer to surpass 1 million record sales.

In 2005, Cho performed a concert in Pyongyang, North Korea, a rare occurrence for a South Korean singer.

[5] In April 2013, Cho released his 19th album titled Hello, which debuted at number one on the South Korean charts, eclipsing Psy's "Gentleman".

He will hold a solo concert, 2022 Cho Yong-pil and the Great Birth, at the Olympic Gymnastics Arena in Seoul from November 26 to 27 and December 3 to 4.