K-Trot King Lim Young-woong Surpasses BTS

Singer Lim Young-woong has reached the top spot on Melon, South Korea's largest music platform, with a cumulative streaming count of 13.4907 billion streams, marking an all-time record. This surpasses the previous record held by BTS, and is significant as a solo artist has now surpassed the record of a global group. Although Lim Young-woong debuted in 2016, he achieved this record in approximately 5-6 years of active promotion following his win on 'Tomorrow is Mr. Trot' in 2020, demonstrating overwhelming music power in a short period.

Behind this record lies the strong support of his fandom, 'Hero Generation'. Lim Young-woong's songs not only debut at the top of the charts but also remain consistently popular over time, frequently leading to a phenomenon where multiple songs simultaneously occupy the top positions. Experts analyze this as a result of Lim Young-woong's music and vocal talent being accessible and enjoyable for everyone, regardless of age or gender, allowing his music to become a part of people's daily lives. They assess that this is a record that cannot be achieved solely through fandom support.

Lim Young-woong had already surpassed 10 billion cumulative streams on Melon, earning a spot in the 'Diamond Club'. With this new all-time No. 1 record, he has once again proven his unparalleled presence in the domestic music market. Songs from his recently released second full album, 'IM HERO 2', have accumulated 900 million streams across all 11 tracks, indicating that both new and existing songs continue to be loved.

Lim Young-woong is scheduled to meet with his fans at his solo concert 'IM HERO - THE STADIUM 2' in September at the Goyang Stadium. Expectations are high that the fervor of 'Hero Generation', which rewrote the Melon record, and Lim Young-woong's popularity will continue at the concert venue.

As of February 16th, Lim Young-woong's 13.4907 billion streams on Melon have placed him at the top, surpassing BTS. This holds symbolic meaning on South Korea's largest music platform and marks a historic moment where an artist, after a long period of obscurity, has reached the pinnacle of music platforms.