Singer Baek Ji-young has joined MBN’s trot audition show “Unknown Legend 2” (무명전설2) as a “legend national singer,” Ten Asia reported on October 21. The casting reunites her with trot star Jang Min-ho, who co-hosts the show with Kim Dae-ho.
“Unknown Legend 2” is the second season of MBN’s large-scale trot audition “Unknown Legend: The Trot Men’s Ranking War,” returning this winter. The show casts well-known and unknown singers alike, with competition judged purely on vocal skill. Season 1 wrapped up in May after crowning Seong-ri as the first “legend,” with its finale peaking at 10.1% in viewership ratings.
The production has already assembled a “top pro team” of trot heavyweights — Nam Jin, Joo Hyun-mi, Cho Hang-jo, and Seol Woon-do. Baek Ji-young now joins them as the “legend national singer” for the show’s national song battle segment, bringing star power from beyond the trot world.
The casting is a natural fit: Baek Ji-young holds hits including “총 맞은 것처럼,” “사랑 안해,” “잊지 말아요,” and “내 귀에 캔디,” and is a veteran audition judge, having sat on the panels of Mnet’s “Superstar K6” and “Superstar K7,” “Voice Korea” seasons 1 and 2, TV CHOSUN’s “Tomorrow’s National Singer,” JTBC’s “SingAgain 3” and “SingAgain 4,” and MBN’s “1등들.” This is her first audition program since “1등들” ended in April.
“She has scrutinized not just vocal ability but the emotion and color in each contestant’s singing,” the outlet noted of her judging style. With Baek Ji-young on board, attention is turning to which raw trot talents she will discover and mentor this season.
