Photo By Staff Sgt. AJ Duprey | Yun Chol Chu, electronics technician at American Forces Network-Kunsan, fiddles with...... read more read more
Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea— On the midwest coast of the Korean Peninsula, just upstream from the Yellow Sea, is Gunsan, South Korea. Nestled into this high-tech industrial city is Kunsan Air Base, Home of the Wolf Pack and American Forces Network-Kunsan (AFN-K). At the heart of AFN-K is Mr. Yun Chol Chu.
Chu, an electronics technician at AFN-K and lifelong musician, doesn’t have to imagine working at a place surrounded by music… It’s his reality.
Chu has been the technical expert at the AFN-K radio station for the past 19 years and has played the electric guitar for as long as he can remember.
“Music is my life,” said Chu. “It allows me to express myself and share my feelings with others.”
It seems as if Chu’s relationship with AFN was always meant to be, as working here was not his first run-in with the station.
“When I was a young, a high school student in the 80s, I used to listen to AFN radio in my home. In this vicinity, you could get the signal from Kunsan Air Base,” said Chu.
When Chu was a young primary-school boy, his brother showed him how to play the acoustic guitar and his love of guitar-heavy rock music was born.
“My favorite bands when I was growing up were authentic American and U.K.-based rock musicians, like Billy Idol and The Eagles. My favorite song in when I was younger was ‘Don’t Stop Believin’’ by Journey.”
After graduating from high school and separating from the Korean Navy, he used his electronics degree to work various jobs at electronics companies across Korea.
In 2001, Chu had the opportunity to apply his skillset at the very station he used to rock out to as a young boy. The job would allow him to us his electronics degree in a way that would keep the base rocking.
“I saw the vacancy announcement online in 2001 while I was looking for another job; I found my slot at AFN was vacant. Because I was a Korean sailor in the Navy, I understood the relationship between the American and Korean military. My major in electronics was very similar to this, so I applied and then I got this job.”
At AFN-K, he has been in charge of overseeing the maintenance and operations for the technical side of the radio station for almost two decades and has seen many AFN members and DJs over that course of time. His technical skills are vital to the success of the broadcast mission.
“Mr. Chu continues to be the technical expert for all systems at the AFN Kunsan affiliate. His selfless service helps us achieve our daily mission and creates continuity for a station with a consistently high turnover rate,” said Master Sgt. Ashley Manz, American Forces Network-Kunsan affiliate manager. “His technical knowledge of the components within our facility have ensured a zero fail mission for all radio broadcasts. Our affiliate – from mission to personnel, would find it extremely challenging to be as successful as we are without Mr. Chu. He is irreplaceable and vital to the ongoing mission here at AFN Kunsan.”
If you spend any amount of time at AFN-K, you will probably be able to hear the purposeful picking and blues riffs coming from the back office, where Chu spends most of his time. He can very often be found playing his electric guitar, modelled after an axe belonging to, Megadeth singer/guitarist, Dave Mustaine. He frequently shares with his coworkers his latest clips from songs he’s played and photos of him from “back in the day” strumming out tunes.
When his years at AFN come to a close and he can finally dedicate his time to his music and family, he plans to stage-dive into the local scene once again.
Chu says, “When I retire, I look forward to spending more time playing music—maybe I’ll start playing at clubs again.”
As the old saying goes, “Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.” This tune rings true for Chu.
| Date Taken: | 02.27.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 04.07.2020 22:40 |
| Story ID: | 363979 |
| Location: | KR |
| Web Views: | 25 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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