Trot singer Kim Yong-im has revealed her house in Nonhyeon-dong.
In the fourth episode of MBN's ‘Let's Go’ Season 4, aired on the 2nd, trot singer Kim Yong-im captivated viewers with a full episode that included the first public reveal of her house in Gangnam Nonhyeon-dong and her love story with her husband, who was her manager. Additionally, she provided a more special time with a private special dinner show just for ‘Let's Go’ Season 4.
As soon as she entered, the flowing music, sparkling party decorations, dazzling lights, and dresses immediately caught the eyes and ears of the MCs, and Kim Yong-im raised the atmosphere of the special dinner show by serving homemade raspberry juice.
After the opening stage, MCs Ahn Jung-hwan and Hong Hyun-hee explored Kim Yong-im's house in Nonhyeon-dong, which was revealed for the first time through ‘Let's Go’ Season 4. Kim Yong-im introduced a scarf interior hanging on the wall instead of paintings. She surprised everyone by saying, “I wanted to buy paintings, but good ones are too expensive,” and that the scarf was from a luxury brand H.
While looking at albums containing Kim Yong-im's history, the MCs and Kim Yong-im discussed her first trot medley album, which is known to have sold over a million copies, saying, “At that time, I was taking a break after getting married, but someone who knew my voice encouraged me to record this album. Thanks to this album, I was able to make a comeback.”
Kim Yong-im shared, “In the past, if a song didn’t hit, I would change my name. I debuted as Kim Yong-im, but later performed under the name Kim Min-kyung, which I received from a monk. After that, I changed it to Kim Ji-woon, then to Kim Myung-joo, and later to Kim Mi-ran. When a new album was about to come out, I was told to change my name again, but I said, ‘Changing names only costs money. Let’s just go with Kim Yong-im,’ and that album became a hit,” revealing the story of how she changed her name five times in pursuit of success.
Afterward, Kim Yong-im revealed her dress room filled with sparkling stage costumes. The MCs, amazed by the room filled with glamorous dresses and hanboks, remarked, “This is where the history and musical life of the teacher is,” and Kim Yong-im replied, “I don’t have many now. I gave a lot to my juniors and singers because I had too many.” In particular, Kim Yong-im revealed, “The beading and handwork are expensive,” and added, “In the past, when Song Ga-in was still unknown, she came to my house and took clothes and shoes.” This surprised everyone.
Kim Yong-im shared the story of how she met her current husband, who was her manager, after her divorce, as well as an episode from a prison performance. “After my first marriage, I stopped being a singer. At that time, my husband was working a regular job, so we lived a normal life. But I really worked hard,” she revealed.
Explaining the reason for her hiatus from singing, Kim Yong-im said, “I think my divorce was the reason that made me sing again,” and shared how she returned to the music scene. She continued, “As I worked hard, someone introduced me to a manager. We both worked really hard. At first, the broadcasting station said, ‘Is this even singing?’ So I cried and begged, and they let me perform once on air, and after that, the response started coming from the provinces. It all began in Haenam.”
Kim Yong-im recounted, “As I became more well-known, one day I received a call from the Ministry of Justice for a prison performance. At that time, there were people with towels over their hands, but I didn’t know that it was because they were handcuffed.”
Regarding her love story with her husband, she said, “As my album did well, the PDs started to support me. One day, while I was at home, a PD called and when I went out, he brought a cake, and I said, ‘We’re not that kind of relationship,’ and brushed it off. After that, I felt sorry for my busy husband and massaged his shoulders. But then he held my hand,” explaining how their love blossomed, which made the MCs laugh, saying, “He made the first move.”
Kim Yong-im shared, “My husband told me, ‘I have feelings for you, but I can’t do anything because I’m afraid it might seem like the manager is hitting on the singer,’ and I replied, ‘What does that matter? As long as we’re happy, isn’t that enough? If I really like you, can’t I just show it after we get married?’” showcasing her bold personality that impressed everyone.
As a guest for the special dinner show, singer Kang Jin, a friend of Kim Yong-im for 40 years, made the dinner show special. Kang Jin, who cleverly brought a roll of paper towels, raised the atmosphere even more by passionately singing his hit song ‘Ddaengbeol’ as soon as he entered.
Kang Jin expressed, “I thought she would succeed because she sings well. After she got married and took a break from singing, I connected her with a producer,” and added, “I’m glad that Yong-im succeeded and made a lot of money to move into a nice house. It feels like I bought a house. I feel happy when the people around me do well, as if I’m doing well too.”
When asked by the MCs, “After building a friendship for 40 years, has anything changed since you both became successful?” Kim Yong-im and Kang Jin replied, “Nothing has changed at all,” and expressed their happiness, saying, “We are both healthy and active together. We are doing concerts together, and the response is good.” The MCs also supported their friendship, saying, “It’s warm,” “Like family,” and “It must have been touching when you stood on the dinner show stage together,” creating a heartwarming atmosphere.
