[Edaily Starin Choi Hee-jae Reporter] Trot singer Park Hyun-bin is drawing attention after sparking a controversy over his primary residence.

Episode 771 of KBS2’s “Immortal Songs,” airing on the 29th, will feature the first part of the “National Trot Festival Special,” bringing together trot stars representing regions across the country—including Gangwon, Gyeonggi, Gyeongsang, Seoul, Jeolla, Jeju, and Chungcheong—to create an unprecedented nationwide celebration.
The lineup of trot stars representing each region—including Gangwon’s Shin Seung-tae; Gyeonggi’s Park Hyun-bin and Yoo Ji-woo; Gyeongsang’s Han Hye-jin, Eun Ga-eun, and Kim Yong-bin; Jeolla’s Jin Sung and Kim Tae-yeon; Seoul’s Shin Yu, Shin Jang-mi, and Yoon Soo-hyun; Chungcheong’s Shin Sung and Namgung Jin; Jeju’s Kang Hye-yeon and Yang Ji-eun; and the “Global Hwagae Market” duo Seong Ri and Jang Han-byul—is raising expectations.
On this day, Gyeonggi representatives Park Hyun-bin and Yoo Ji-woo will add some laughs by proving their regional authenticity. Park Hyun-bin steps forward to verify their credentials, saying, “I see some people here whose representative region is different from where they actually live. We are the real deal from Gyeonggi.” Park Hyun-bin and Yoo Ji-woo, who reside in Gwangmyeong and Namyangju, respectively, even bring official seals and resident registration extracts, sending the audience into a frenzy.
“Gwangmyeong Prince” Park Hyun-bin boasts his exceptional regional pride, saying, “There’s a legend that when an elementary school exam asked, ‘Name a famous person from Gyeonggi Province,’ ‘Park Hyun-bin’ was accepted as the correct answer.” Eventually, Park Hyun-bin—who had been eagerly scrutinizing the regional authenticity of other contestants—shouted, “Gotcha!” and turned his eagle eyes on Kim Yong-bin, a Daegu native, when he spoke with a slightly awkward Daegu dialect.
Seong-ri, from Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, and Jang Han-byul, from Brisbane, Australia, drew attention by entering the competition under the team name “Global Hwagae Market.” The two form a formidable duo, having recently placed first and third, respectively, on a talent competition show. Seong-ri reveals her ambition right from the start, saying, “I’m keeping an eye on Kim Yong-bin, who’s a former winner,” but Shin Seong, representing Chungcheong, snaps back in a folksy dialect, “So does that mean the rest of us are all just chaff or something~?” drawing laughter.
Meanwhile, in the talk waiting room, a lively competition showcasing dialects from all eight provinces of Korea breaks out. Jang Han-byul joins in with an Australian accent, ramping up the energy. Claiming, “In the English-speaking world, Australia has the strongest dialect,” she shouts “Emi-ami” with a thick nasal tone, leaving everyone wide-eyed in shock.
In response, Kim Tae-yeon interprets it as “Is that really ‘Ebada?’,” making Jang Han-byul grab the back of her neck in exasperation, while Eun Ga-eun raises suspicion by asking, “Aren’t you just making that up because we can’t understand you?”—prompting bursts of laughter. Eventually, even her teammate Seong Ri sides with Eun Ga-eun, saying, “We need to look into this,” turning the set into a sea of laughter.
In this “National Trot Festival Special,” which spans all eight provinces of Korea and even extends to Brisbane, Australia, the battle of pride among trot stars competing for regional honor and the clash of regional dialects are expected to deliver nonstop laughter. In particular, anticipation is high to see how Seong Ri and Jang Han-byul—members of the “Global Hwagae Market” team who revealed their ambition by keeping Kim Yong-bin in check from the very start—will perform among the formidable regional representatives.
“Bulghu” is a program where various singers reinterpret and perform classic songs from diverse genres. Having aired for over 700 episodes, it is considered one of KBS’s flagship long-running programs. It airs every Saturday at 6:05 p.m.