Meet the American Exchange Student Going Viral in Korea For His Amazing Singing Voice

With his passion for singing and love for all things Korean, Butso decided to move to South Korea in 2012 after his graduation from Ohio State University in hopes of becoming a certified K-Pop star.

The Ohio-born, Georgia-raised singer then studied the Korean language and adopted the Korean name Choi Jun Seop, which is close to his name Joseph.

Looking to build his name through busking (singing and dancing in public) on the streets of Seoul while joining different singing contests, he sought the help of of kind individuals via Gofundme in 2015. In his campaign page, he sought to raise $550 for the equipment he would need (amp, mic, and mic stand) for busking.

With $685 raised within a month, Butso was able to purchase his tools and has been performing  in the streets of Seoul ever since.

“Although I was born in America, when I’m in Korea, I feel like I have a purpose, it’s where I belong,” Butso told CGN TV in an interview. “Korea is my home now,” he proudly stated.

After his epic and heartfelt rendition of SG Wannabe’s “As I Live” on the August 18 episode of Mnet’s ‘I Can See Your Voice 3, Butso is now getting some well-deserved praise. Netizens from all over the world applaud not only his talent and positive attitude.

But while stardom is almost a guarantee for the talented singer, his main objective is still to spread the Christian gospel through music. He explained that he felt it was his duty as a Christian to spread the gospel.

“I believe it wasn’t me who decided to come and spread the gospel to Korea. God chose Korea for me,” Joseph Butso said.

“I want people to know the good news,” the soulful singer concluded.