The TOP 7 of ‘Current King of Mask Singer 2’ shared their determination to participate in the ‘Korea-Japan King of Mask Singer Battle’.
At the press conference for ‘Current King of Mask Singer 2’ TOP 7 held on the afternoon of the 12th at Nuri Dream Square in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, Park Seo-jin said, “I have experienced being first for the first time. I still can’t believe it,” and added, “When I showed my parents the king belt, they said, ‘Seeing you succeed, I have no regrets even if I die.’ I also heard that my parents distributed a lot of rice cakes in Samcheok the next day,” sharing the behind-the-scenes story of his victory.
Park Seo-jin, who was brought in midway with Shin Yoo, said he did not want to win. “When it was just (Jin) Hae-seong and me left, I thought, ‘I just don’t want to be the one.’ But when I became first, I had more thoughts of ‘Oh no, this is a big deal’ than joy,” he reflected.
However, he added, “The weight of the king belt is heavy, but I will work hard to present a stage that is not embarrassing at the ‘Korea-Japan King of Mask Singer Battle.’ I showed Korean things on stage, and I think I will be able to promote our culture well in Japan, which is why I believe the public voted for me a lot.”
Park Seo-jin stated, “Once the ‘Korea-Japan King of Mask Singer Battle’ starts, we have our own weapons, so we plan to make our competition more distinctive. When I participated in ‘Current King of Mask Singer,’ I wanted to convey Korean sentiment in Japan. I will also showcase Korean sentiment well in the ‘Korea-Japan King of Mask Singer Battle’,” he announced.
When asked about the prize money of 100 million won, he said, “There were controversies about fairness, but I became the king through the choice of many people. I think the way to return the love I received is through donations,” and added, “And I will treat the members to Korean beef,” which drew cheers from the TOP 7.
Jin Hae-seong, who placed second, said, “This was my third competition, and I feel both relieved and bittersweet. I will work harder in the future to share good songs with the TOP 7,” he said.
Enok, who came in third, expressed, “I feel like I’ve been on a long journey. I gained a lot during the competition, so I am trying to incorporate it into myself. Thanks to this, I was able to gain many comrades, and I am very excited about the journeys we will have together,” he revealed.
Shin Seung-tae, who placed fourth, said, “People often say they feel relieved and bittersweet, but I don’t feel bittersweet at all; I feel very relieved. I want the seven of us to stay close together and create good stages to repay the support,” he said.
Choi Soo-ho, who came in sixth, said, “I think just participating was a really big experience, and I was glad to meet wonderful seniors,” while Kang Moon-kyung, who placed seventh, said, “Thank you for providing a stage to sing. I will continue to do my best on the given stage,” he said.
‘Current King of Mask Singer 2’ is a high-quality survival music entertainment program for male active singers, held to select the trot national representatives for the ‘Korea-Japan King of Mask Singer Battle’ in 2025, aiming to earn the ‘Taegeuk mark’.
‘Current King of Mask Singer 2’ started on November 26 last year and concluded its long journey on the 25th of last month.
The total score for the final was 5000 points, calculated by combining scores from on-site voting (44% combined from the 1st and 2nd rounds), national support voting (10% with differential scoring from second place), new song streaming (6% with differential scoring from second place), and real-time text voting (40% with proportional scoring from second place). Notably, the ‘real-time text voting,’ which accounted for 40% of the total score, determined the final rankings.
The TOP 7 of ‘Current King of Mask Singer 2’ will participate in the ‘2025 Korea-Japan King of Mask Singer Battle’ in August, competing against Japanese singers.
Enok confidently stated, “As you can see, we are a one-in-a-million team. We think of ourselves as the Avengers in our own way,” and added, “You will be surprised when you see us.”
Shin Seung-tae shared, “All the members have the determination to give their all when given something. We want to prepare our stages well and show good performances. Everyone is also studying Japanese,” conveying their determination for the stage.
Park Seo-jin said, “Once we start the ‘Korea-Japan King of Mask Singer Battle,’ we have our own weapons, and we plan to make that distinctive in our competition. The reason I first participated in ‘Current King of Mask Singer 2’ was to convey Korean sentiment in Japan. I plan to create a stage that showcases Korean sentiment well in the ‘Korea-Japan King of Mask Singer Battle’,” he stated.
Jin Hae-seong expressed, “The stage itself as a national competition is meaningful, and it will allow us to properly showcase Korean trot,” conveying its special significance.
