Yang Ji-won Opens Up About Challenging Childhood on MBM's 'Special World'

Trot singer Yang Ji-won recently shared insights into his challenging childhood.

On the October 19th episode of MBM's 'Special World,' first-generation trot prodigy Yang Ji-won reflected on the difficult moments of his early career.

Yang recalled, “As a child, I performed at around three to four thousand events. On busy days, I had up to five events. My heyday as a prodigy began when I joined the agency that housed stars like Jang Yoon-jeong and Park Hyun-bin. I was everywhere; if you turned on the TV, there I was, whether it was variety shows, current affairs documentaries, or even solo interviews on news channels.”

He continued, “I attended school until the first year of middle school, then dropped out and moved to Japan. Living alone for about a year and a half led to depression, which naturally connected to overeating, resulting in chronic enteritis and gastritis. My father, having to support our living, took an early retirement payout and gave up everything to join me. He even worked cleaning hotel rooms to support me.”

Yang also shared, “The Great East Japan Earthquake was devastating, and the anti-Korean sentiment was so strong that it compounded the situation. All scheduled appearances for Korean artists were canceled, adding to the misfortune.”

Reported by Ryu Ye-ji, TenAsia ryuperstar@tenasia.co.kr