[Sportschosun reporter Park A-ram] Ahead of Chuseok in 2026, the event appearance fees of trot singers have been revealed. The recent trot event market is reportedly seeing notable advances from new heavyweights such as Park Ji-hyun, Park Seo Jin, and Kim Yong Bin, alongside singers who have traditionally ranked at the top.
On the 24th, the channel "Respect Lee Jin-ho" released a video titled "2026 Trot Singers' Event Appearance Fees Fully Revealed... A Dramatically Changed Top Five Ranking."
In the video, Lee Jin-ho examined trot singers' event appearance fees and the recent changes in the event market ahead of Chuseok 2026.
Although Lim Young-woong's actual event appearance fee has not been specifically disclosed, Lee Jin-ho reported that figures of at least KRW 100 million are being discussed in industry circles.
Lee Jin-ho explained, "People in the industry are only speculating and predicting that it would be at least KRW 100 million," adding, "The maximum an event can pay a single person is probably around KRW 100 million. If Lim Young-woong comes, they cannot book other singers."
Among the top-tier singers who are actually available for event appearances, Kim Ho-joong was mentioned at around KRW 50 million.
Lee Jin-ho stated, "Kim Ho-joong, specifically, was assessed at around KRW 50 million."
Young Tak and Lee Chan-won were subsequently reported to command event appearance fees of approximately KRW 38 million and KRW 35 million, respectively.
A notable recent change in the trot event market is the rise of so-called "dark horses" such as Park Ji-hyun, Park Seo Jin, and Kim Yong Bin.
Park Ji-hyun, in particular, is showing rapid growth, with an event appearance fee of around KRW 30 million being discussed. According to Lee Jin-ho, Park Ji-hyun is reportedly scheduled to perform at more than 25 events in October alone.
Kim Yong Bin and Park Seo Jin have also been cited at around KRW 25 million, appearing to rapidly narrow the gap with top-ranked singers.
Thus, the 2026 trot event market is seeing both the continued dominance of established top-tier singers, including Lim Young-woong, and the simultaneous growth of new stars.
However, the fees disclosed that day were not the singers' official appearance fees. They were either industry estimates or figures cited in the video as assessed amounts, so the actual figures may vary depending on contract terms and the scale of each event.
tokkig@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
