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He was born in Geumsan, Jeonbuk Province. He graduated from Shinheung Middle School in Jeonju, which was founded by missionaries, and later graduated from Yeongmyeong High School in Gunsan. Deeply moved after hearing a speech by Syngman Rhee in 1911, he became a devoted follower of Rhee. After teaching mathematics and physics at his alma mater, Shinheung School, he left for Shanghai in 1916 and subsequently sought exile in the United States.

His meeting with Syngman Rhee in Hawaii became a turning point; for the rest of his life, he supported Rhee by participating in the independence movement and providing independence funds. He worked on rice farms and vineyards while studying at UCLA and the University of Southern California (USC). During this time, he started a produce commission business with Kim Yong-jung. They established K&S Jobbers (Kim & Song Commission Merchants), and Song also founded a fruit packing company in Dinuba, Central California.

After graduating from UC Berkeley at the age of 37, he attended the founding meeting of the North American General Assembly of the Korean Comrades Association (Daehanin Dongjihoe) in 1929 as a representative for Los Angeles. He played a central role in securing a building for the Los Angeles chapter of the Korean Comrades Association and participated in publishing the ‘Bukmi Sibo’ (likely the North American Times). He actively served as treasurer and later president of the Dongjihoe and its North American General Assembly.

Advocating for the importance of teaching the Korean language to second-generation Korean-Americans, he founded the Southern California Mugunghwa Korean School in 1972. His company, ‘Song’s Packing,’ became a vital source of livelihood for Koreans in Dinuba, a town where early immigrants formed a large community centered around labor. After Syngman Rhee resigned and moved to Hawaii, Song Cheol visited him multiple times to offer comfort. Following this period, the Dongjihoe entered a period of decline. The South Korean government posthumously awarded him the Order of Merit for National Foundation, Patriotic Medal (Aegukjang) in 1994.