KOREA FOUNDATION

‘Trot’ Popularity Shows No Sign of Wavering

The programming of broadcasting stations testifies to the unwavering popularity of trot, a genre of popular music from Korea. The combined viewership of MBN’s Fire Trot and TV Chosun’s Mr. Trot 2: Beginning of a New Legend exceeded 35 percent in the second week of March.

In the past, trot songs were deemed to be the favorite of senior citizens and nicknamed ppongjjak (an onomatopoeic word mimicking a typical trot beat), somewhat poking fun at the genre by calling it—and those who enjoy it—simple. From the mid-2000s, however, the general response towards trot changed dramatically with the emergence of singers such as Jang Yoon-jeong, Park Hyun-bin, and Hong Jin-young. Trot owes its current place in mainstream popular culture to Miss Trot, a show aired on TV Chosun in 2019, which was quickly followed by numerous other trot audition programs. Trot has also seen a rise in younger singers, with audition-winning stars such as Song Ga-in and Lim Young-woong capturing audiences around the country.

At the center of the trot trend are “active seniors”—a Konglish buzzword referring to affluent retirees making the most of their leisure time—who vote for their favorite trot singers and invest lavishly in them. Such behavior has been dubbed “by-me syndrome,” with people expressing their pride in feeling as if they have “made a star.” Younger people are also increasingly enjoying trot amid the spread of “Newtro” (new retro) culture and “B-class culture,” a label usually referring to anything cheesy, kitschy, or satirical in nature. As a result, many trot singers now have fandoms comparable to those of K-pop stars. Thanks to the fans with great spending power, trot is growing from a cultural trend into a substantial industry.

TrotFire TrotMr. Trot 2Miss TrotSong Ga-inLim Young-woongactive seniorsby-me syndromeNewtro