The original, Mr Trot, was won by Lim in 2020, with more than a third of all South Korean viewers watching the final – and his victory has turned him into a nationwide sensation. His songs have 10 billion streams on music platform Melon, his official fan club has more than 200,000 members and his tours sell out in minutes.
He also out-earns BTS members – individually, not as a group – with ticket sales for his recent tour raking in about US$22 million, industry data shows.
“Domestically, articles about him generate more traffic and gain more likes than BTS,” veteran entertainment journalist Seo Byung-ki said.
This was known as “Lim Young-woong syndrome”, she added.
The star’s moving backstory – “losing his father at a young age, growing up with the care of his grandmother, barely making a living, then winning a television show” – coupled with his “perfect” vocals make him a sure-fire public hit, Seo said.
He’s such a kind person, good to his mother and, most of all, a great singer
At a recent concert in Seoul, tens of thousands of fans, all dressed in sky-blue – the singer’s official colour – and waving lightsticks, wept as Lim appeared on stage.
His fans are mostly elderly, and this is their first celebrity obsession for many of them.
Baek Soon-ok, 87, had never watched a YouTube video of a celebrity or attended a concert before she discovered Lim.
“He’s such a kind person, good to his mother and, most of all, a great singer,” she said, wearing a blue T-shirt with Lim’s face on it. “I never imagined I would like an artist as much as him.”
In Lim’s South Korean hometown of Pocheon, a sky-blue cafe named Woong’s Tree doubles as an homage to the singer.
Outside, the walls and windows are adorned with photographs of Lim. Inside, an extensive collection of his merchandise is on display, alongside life-size, smiling cut-outs.
He’s my strength, my happiness
“I listened to his song ‘Wish’ when I was in chemotherapy and it struck my heart,” she said, adding he helped her let go of her fear of dying of cancer.
After that, she began to follow Lim wherever he performed, and along the way, she met fellow super fans – known as Hero Generation, as his name means “hero” in Korean – and opened the cafe to create a space for them to gather and celebrate Lim.
“He’s my strength, my happiness,” said another fan and cafe regular, 60-year-old Lee Bu-duk.
And more young trot singers are entering the market. Lim and his Mr Trot appearance made Park Sung-on – then just 12 – realise he wanted to pursue the genre.
“I think it fits the sentiment of what Koreans feel,” Park said of the genre. He appeared on a later version of the Mr Trot show, where he finished in the top 10.
Hailed as a budding “trot genius”, Park released his debut single in March 2023.
“I don’t think I’m a star. I had to work hard to get here,” he said. But Park, who is 14 this year, says he wants to dedicate his life to trot. “I think of it as a lifelong partner.”