Kang Hye Yeon's Tearful 5th Place Confession

Kang Hye-yeon achieved a remarkable feat by securing 5th place in MBN's 'Hyunyeok Ga-wang 3' (National Singer 3), earning her a spot in the 'National Team TOP7'. This marks a significant achievement for Kang Hye-yeon, who previously left a lingering sense of disappointment with an 8th-place finish in 'Mister Trot 2'. She has now shed the label of 'eternal 8th place' and demonstrated a miracle of late blooming. From the early stages of the competition, Kang Hye-yeon topped the public support vote, tearfully stating, "This is the first time I've ever been in first place." Following her first-place win in the 'New Song Battle' during the first round of the finals, she delivered a powerful rendition of Cho Yong-pil's 'Dream' in the second round, receiving high praise from the masters. This success is attributed to her strong foundation of public familiarity, built through consistent appearances on programs like KBS 1TV's 'National Singing Contest' outside of broadcast stages, which has provided a solid base of support.

Kang Hye-yeon's rise is a testament to overcoming the painful idol industry hardships she experienced in her 20s. She debuted with EXID in 2012 but left the group after just two months. She then re-debuted as the main vocalist of BESTie, only to experience the group's disbandment. Her experiences working various part-time jobs to make a living became a powerful driving force that forged her into a resilient artist. Furthermore, her 'vitamin vocals,' unwavering live breathing, and rich facial expressions, honed through her long idol career, have become irreplaceable weapons on the trot stage. This strategy, which lessens the heavy feel of traditional trot and adds sophisticated melody lines, maximizes the appeal of 'trot you can watch,' securing broad public appeal across generations.

'Hyunyeok Ga-wang 3' proved its high popularity by recording a total of 1,207,267 real-time text votes. Hong Ji-yoon was crowned the final 3rd 'Hyunyeok Ga-wang', followed by Cha Ji-yeon, Lee Soo-yeon, Gu Soo-kyung, Kang Hye-yeon, Kim Tae-yeon, and Solji, who were selected as the National Team TOP7 to compete in the 2026 'Korea-Japan Ga-wang Jeon' (Singer Competition). Regarding her reason for participating in 'Hyunyeok Ga-wang 3', Kang Hye-yeon stated, "I kept getting 8th place every time, so I decided to challenge myself out of sheer determination," and expressed her satisfaction with her 5th-place finish, saying, "​I wanted to break free from 8th place, and I finally did. I was truly moved."

In the semi-finals, Kang Hye-yeon's rendition of 'Flower Wind' received polarized reviews from the masters, but she earned 303 points with comments like "She did well on a difficult song." Despite some regrets that "she should have focused more on the song," Kang Hye-yeon showed her will to advance to the finals, shedding tears and exclaiming, "Why is this competition making me struggle so much?" Other contestants, including Lee Soo-yeon, Hong Ji-yoon, and Solji, also delivered outstanding performances, engaging in fierce competition.

Kang Hye-yeon revealed her reason for participating in MBN's 'Hyunyeok Ga-wang 3': "I kept getting 8th place every time, so I developed a competitive spirit. I challenged myself boldly, wondering why I couldn't overcome 8th place when it's just a single digit difference." Regarding her eventual 5th-place finish, she expressed her satisfaction: "​I was truly moved. I always came in 8th, so I really wanted to break that, and I finally did. Honestly, I was hoping to be called for 6th place. Because if not 6th, then it would be 7th or 8th again. But the moment my name was called for 5th place, I couldn't believe it and tears just started flowing."