K-Pop Star Hong Ji-yoon Donates $1 Million Prize from 'The King of Singers 3'

K-pop singer Hong Ji-yoon has announced her decision to donate the entire $1 million prize she won from the show 'The King of Singers 3'.

On the morning of the 11th, a press conference for MBN's 'The King of Singers 3' was held at the Stanford Hotel Korea in Sangam. Attendees included the TOP7 finalists: Hong Ji-yoon, Cha Ji-yeon, Lee Soo-yeon, Koo Soo-kyung, Kang Hye-yeon, and Solji. Kim Tae-yeon was absent due to school commitments.

During the event, Hong Ji-yoon expressed her intention to donate the entire prize money. She stated, "When I participated in 'Miss Trot 2' in 2021, I made a pledge to donate the prize money if I won. Although I finished in second place and couldn't fulfill that promise, I intend to honor it this time."

After being announced as the winner, Hong Ji-yoon shared her thoughts, saying, "I had many concerns before deciding to participate, but I wanted to show my growth and took on the challenge. I will continue to strive to become an excellent musician."

In her acceptance speech, Hong Ji-yoon added, "Having debuted through another audition, I felt there were many areas where I was lacking as an active singer. Before appearing on 'The King of Singers 3', I wanted to show my development as an artist and have the ambition to become a remarkable musician. I want to convey that passion to the public."

Meanwhile, the final episode of 'The King of Singers 3', which aired on the 10th, achieved a peak viewership rating of 12.4% and a nationwide rating of 11.7%, according to Nielsen Korea. The TOP7 finalists are set to appear in the MBN Korea-Japan music competition '2026 Korea-Japan King of Singers', airing on April 14th.

Reported by Da-yeon Jeong, Ten Asia light@tenasia.co.kr