Mr. Trot 3 winner Kim Yong-bin revealed he still keeps 50 bankbooks left by his late grandmother, untouched to this day.
According to Ten Asia, the revelation came on the October 11 episode (episode 376) of KBS2’s “The Boss Has Donkey Ears,” which followed the singer as he prepared his first new song in one year and two months. Kim took the 300 million won top prize when he won Mr. Trot 3.
Before recording, he ate health tonics and balloon flower powder his grandmother had made for him, and brought a towel-made humidifier to the studio to protect his throat. After the session he listened to his own track and praised it — then watched the studio footage back and joked, “I didn’t say that, that’s AI.”
The grandmother who raised him had saved every bit of money he earned as a child without spending any of it. Hearing that he had kept all 50 accounts, trot senior Kim Yeon-ja advised him, “Just saving money isn’t always good. You should buy gold or invest it.”
Kim also sang Kim Yeon-ja’s “Mother’s Season” as a tribute to his grandmother. Kim Yeon-ja wiped away tears, thanking him and telling him, “From now on, walk only on flower roads. I’ll be cheering for you.”
With his comeback stage a week away, Kim personally checked everything from hand gestures and stage outfits to the encore song. “The Boss Has Donkey Ears” airs every Sunday at 4:40 p.m.
