{"id":146849,"date":"2025-09-16T07:19:11","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T07:19:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/146849\/"},"modified":"2025-09-16T07:19:11","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T07:19:11","slug":"how-trot-became-k-pop-fans-biggest-fear-and-possible-kpop-demon-hunters-showstopper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/146849\/","title":{"rendered":"How trot became K-pop fans\u2019 biggest fear and possible \u2018KPop Demon Hunters\u2019 showstopper"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Maggie <\/p>\n

Maggie Kang, director of Netflix’s animated film “KPop Demon Hunters,” attends a press conference held in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on Aug. 22. [NETFLIX]<\/p>\n

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Kim Mi-ra, a 71-year-old restaurant owner in eastern Seoul, hasn\u2019t really heard of \u201cKPop Demon Hunters\u201d yet, let alone that its sequel might involve a trot song. But she\u2019s certain she knows what could have inspired that idea.
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\u201cLim Young-woong\u2019s the one who brought trot to this new level, even to global attention,\u201d she said with pride, referring to the reigning trot sensation whom she has ardently followed over the past five years \u2014 with all the dedication of a veteran K-pop fan, from joining online fan communities to taking part in streaming campaigns.
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Lim is a breakout trot star who shot to stardom after winning TV Chosun’s hit trot audition program “Mister Trot” (2020-). Since then, he has been setting new records as a trot singer, from concert attendance and album sales to streaming performance. His latest release, “Eternal Moment,” even briefly toppled HUNTR\/X’s “Golden” from the top spot on Melon’s Top 100 chart.
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\"Merchandise <\/p>\n

Merchandise of trot singer Lim Young-woong is displayed at fan Kim Mi-ra’s restaurant in eastern Seoul on Sept. 11. [SHIN HA-NEE]<\/p>\n

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\u201cHow can we talk about Korean music without mentioning Lim?\u201d she added.
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And her intuition may not be far off.
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No one knows exactly how HUNTR\/X\u2019s story will continue in the sequel to the animated Netflix megahit, but director Maggie Kang has sprinkled a few unexpected crumbs.
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\u201cI\u2019d like to introduce more diverse musical styles and genres of Korea,\u201d the director told reporters during her visit to Seoul on Aug. 22.
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\u201cGenres like trot, maybe,\u201d Kang continued. \u201cTrot is such a huge bang these days \u2014 I\u2019d like to show different aspects of Korean music.\u201d
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Yes, Kang\u2019s right. Trot has roared back into the spotlight in Korea over the past few years, and international fans have noticed as well, with a mix of awe and dread.
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\"Singer <\/p>\n

Singer Lim Young-woong [MULGOGI MUSIC]<\/p>\n

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One Reddit user recalled how their sister was \u201cextremely upset\u201d to learn that Lim would be releasing music in the same month as aespa, meaning that the girl group would be facing off against the trot singer on streaming platforms for ranking.
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\u201cAfter all, who is Lim Young-woong and why are K-pop fans so afraid of him?\u201d asked the user.
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The top reply, with 945 upvotes, put it like this: \u201cA trot singer very popular among ajumma [older women], who are notoriously dedicated and too good at voting. They’re monsters [respectfully].\u201d
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But before we get to how Lim became K-pop\u2019s unlikely nemesis or restaurant owner Kim a respectful member of his \u201cnotoriously dedicated\u201d fan club, it\u2019s worth pausing to answer the bigger question: What exactly is trot, and what does the genre mean for Koreans?
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Trot may be an English word, but as a music genre, it has taken on a unique meaning in Korea, far removed from its dictionary definition.
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Musically, trot is loosely defined by its foxtrot-inspired two-beat rhythm and the stylistic influence of traditional Korean folk music on vocals, especially in its earliest form in the 1930s. At the time, these songs weren\u2019t called \u201ctrot,\u201d as they were simply popular music, making them the very first form of modern Korean pop.
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Its origins, however, have been a somewhat controversial and debated topic.
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Some suggest that trot originated from Japanese enka, which shares similar stylistic elements, while others point out that the genre evolved into something distinctively Korean, particularly after the nation\u2019s liberation from Japan\u2019s colonial rule in 1945.
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The controversy even led to one of Korea\u2019s greatest pop hits, \u201cDongbaek Agassi\u201d \u2014 which translates to \u201cCamellia Lady\u201d \u2014 by legendary singer Lee Mi-ja being banned in 1965 over the alleged Japanese influence. The stigma lingered well into the 1980s, leaving a scarlet letter on the genre.
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\"Visitors <\/p>\n

Visitors view the cover of singer Lee Mi-ja\u2019s 1964 hit \u201cDongbaek Agassi,\u201d which translates to \u201cCamellia Lady,\u201d displayed at Busan Modern & Contemporary History Museum in Busan on Oct. 23, 2024. [SONG BONG-GEUN\/JOONGANG PHOTO]<\/p>\n

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But that very history of suppression is what defined and shaped trot into what it is today, according to Son Min-jung, professor of music education at Korea National University of Education. Son, one of Korea\u2019s leading trot scholars, authored the first trot-focused research paper on the international ethnomusicology publication \u201cAsian Music\u201d in 2006.
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\u201cJust like how \u2018Golden\u2019 tells a story of overcoming struggles, trot\u2019s history began amid systemic oppression under Japanese colonial rule,\u201d Son said.
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\u201cThe genre, which was widely enjoyed by the general public, had long been stigmatized either as a remnant of Japan\u2019s rule or a symbol of crudity by elites,\u201d the professor explained. \u201cBut that\u2019s how its story of resilience began as well.\u201d
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\"Singer <\/p>\n

Singer Lee Mi-ja around the release of her legendary hit song \u2033Dongbaek Agassi,\u2033 which translates to \u2033Camellia Lady,\u2033 released in 1963 [JOONGANG PHOTO] \u2018\ub3d9\ubc31\uc544\uac00\uc528\u2019\uac00 \ubc1c\ud45c\ub410\uc744 \ubb34\ub835\uc758 \uc774\ubbf8\uc790. [\uc911\uc559\ud3ec\ud1a0]<\/p>\n

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Cultural forms that are glorified and elevated to institutional status often stagnate \u201clike an artifact in a museum,\u201d Son pointed out, but trot avoided that fate precisely because it had to adapt and evolve to endure.
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Still, for decades, trot was largely viewed as niche music for the elderly \u2014 up until 2019, when TV Chosun\u2019s smash hit audition program \u201cMiss Trot\u201d (2019-) and \u201cMister Trot\u201d series brought it back into the mainstream.
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\"Singer <\/p>\n

Singer Song Ga-in, winner of TV Chosun’s \u2033Miss Trot\u2033 (2019), performs during a showcase on Feb. 11 in western Seoul. [YONHAP]<\/p>\n

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That is how Kim first discovered her favorite trot star, Lim, in 2020.
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\u201cIt felt like I was hit by lightning,\u201d said the 71-year-old, smiling as she recalled the moment she heard Lim\u2019s singing on television for the first time, which constantly plays in her mandu (dumpling) soup restaurant.
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\u201cBefore that, I used to only hear songs from the 1970s and 1980s, and honestly thought trot is kinda crude,\u201d she said.
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Now, her restaurant is decorated with Lim\u2019s posters and merchandise everywhere. Kim chats daily with her fellow fans on group chats every day and streams Lim\u2019s songs on Melon to boost his chart ranking. She even urged her granddaughters to join, to which they complained, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to do this, grandma, he\u2019s already winning!\u201d
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\"Merchandise <\/p>\n

Merchandise of trot singer Lim Young-woong displayed at fan Kim Mi-ra’s restaurant in eastern Seoul on Sept. 11 [SHIN HA-NEE]<\/p>\n

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Kim\u2019s story reflects a broader trend. The rise of “active seniors” \u2014 older people who are socially and economically engaged \u2014 has laid the groundwork for trot\u2019s grand comeback.
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The Covid-19 pandemic also amplified that momentum, Prof. Son noted.
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\u201cDuring hard times, people tend to turn to something like religion or community,\u201d said Son. \u201cTrot music embodies traditional moral values like family, solidarity and overcoming hardship together.\u201d
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Today, Son believes trot has more potential than ever to resonate beyond Korea. Or, rather, perhaps it\u2019s the global audience that has finally become ready.
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“If something is too foreign, people would find it difficult to embrace. But if something feels too familiar, then that loses its appeal as well.”
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Trot, in its current form, is neither too foreign nor worn-out for the general audience outside Korea, meaning that it could be a refreshing new dose of K-ness for international listeners.
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“Korean culture’s true strength comes from its resilience born out of the history of overcoming struggles,” said Son. “Trot is the epitome of that.” <\/p>\n

BY SHIN HA-NEE [[email\u00a0protected]<\/a>]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Maggie Kang, director of Netflix’s animated film “KPop Demon Hunters,” attends a press conference held in Yongsan District,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":146850,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[64,63,134,136],"class_list":["post-146849","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-music","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-entertainment","tag-music"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146849","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=146849"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146849\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/146850"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=146849"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=146849"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=146849"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}