Lim Young-woong, the 'national singer' who earns 15.5 billion won, says, "I'm a singer without a hit song" [SC Issue]

[Sportschosun Reporter Baek Ji-eun] Singer Lim Young-woong showed his humble side.

In the first episode of SBS's 'Little Island, Big Hero,' which aired on the 23rd, viewers saw Lim Young-woong and his family settling into a mountain house. Lim Young-woong visited the new mountain home with his dog Siwori, and close friends Heo Kyung-hwan, Hyeon Bong-sik, and Jo Jjaeze were there as well.

After lunch, Lim Young-woong decided to make a bar table with Jo Jjaeze. He quickly put the table together, and Jo Jjaeze exclaimed, "You seem to have done some carpentry before." Lim Young-woong replied, "I worked a lot at a furniture factory. My uncle ran one, so I used to go there in high school and in my 20s before joining the military to earn pocket money."

Jo Jjaeze and Hyeon Bong-sik praised Lim Young-woong's character. They said they were impressed by how well he listens to others and how hard he works even in acting, not just singing. In response, Lim Young-woong admitted, "Acting is fun. I'm not confident about talk shows. I'm not good at answering questions that are not prepared in advance."

The most striking moment came in the preview released at the end of the broadcast. Lim Young-woong surprised everyone by saying, "My fans may like me, but I don't think I'm a singer with a hit song. I wanted to feel how my brother feels."

That is not surprising, since Lim Young-woong is one of South Korea's leading male solo singers. He has produced mega-hits across a wide range of genres, including trot, ballads, dance, and rock, with songs such as 'Love Always Runs Away,' 'Trust in Me,' 'My Starry Love,' 'Warmth,' and 'London Boy.'

His 2024 release 'Our Blues' and his 2025 song 'Do or Die' were both selected as the tracks that generated the highest annual streaming copyright royalties, based on the KOMCA Copyright Awards criteria.

Backed by that success, Lim Young-woong surpassed 13.6 billion cumulative streams on Melon, South Korea's largest music platform, in March and joined the 'Diamond Club.' In a music market dominated by idol acts, a male solo singer holding the all-time No. 1 spot ahead of even BTS is an extraordinary feat.

According to the audit report of his one-man agency, Mulgogi Music, Lim Young-woong reportedly earned about 15.5 billion won last year, including 14.5 billion won in settlement payments and 1 billion won in dividends.

Even so, he showed excessive modesty by calling himself "a singer without a hit song."

Lim Young-woong successfully wrapped up his 2026 nationwide tour, 'IM HERO,' and will meet fans again in September with his solo concert, 'I'm Hero - The Stadium 2,' at Goyang Stadium.

Reporter Baek Ji-eun silk781220@sportschosun.com