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Singer Shin Sung showcased the prowess of the “Prince of Trot” on MBN’s “Unknown Legend”, winning a 1:1 death match and confirming his advance to the third main round.

In episode 6 of MBN’s “Unknown Legend”, aired on the 8th, a do-or-die “1:1 death match” between renowned singers and unknown singers unfolded. Chosen by unknown singer Kwak Hee-seong for a rival showdown, Shin Sung selected Namjin’s “Sky of Memories” and, leaning on his signature “humidifier voice”, delivered a deeply emotive stage that gently soaked home audiences.

As the performance ended, praise poured in on site. 2AM’s Lee Chang-min could not hide his admiration, saying, “It’s a stage where the risk of losing is too great, but you handled it as if it were your own song,” while judge Shin Yu likewise lauded Shin Sung’s overwhelming prowess: “In a situation where you have to deliver 120% to prove yourself, this stage proved, ‘This is Shin Sung.’” As a result, Shin Sung defeated Kwak Hee-seong, who sang Ryu Ji-gwang’s “Kaballe”, by a score of 10:5 to proudly book his place in the third main round.

Turning down judging seats on other programs to return as a “survival contestant”, Shin Sung earlier faced a scare in the preliminaries, dramatically scraping through as the last passer on the renowned singers team. He then tasted defeat in the first main-round “team leader match”, but as a survival powerhouse he has been displaying unapproachable depth as the rounds progress, backed by know-how and vocals optimized for authentic trot. True to the protagonist of a “great comeback narrative” who once surged from 8th in the first finals round to overall runner-up on “Burning Trotman”, viewers are focused on what result he will deliver on “Unknown Legend” this time as well, powered by a fearsome late surge.

Meanwhile, Shin Sung, the runner-up of MBN’s “Burning Trotman”, has established himself as a leading trot singer by appearing on MBN’s “Burning Roses”, “KoreaJapan Top Ten Show”, MBC ON’s “Trot Champion”, SBS Life·SBS M’s “The Trot Show”, KBS2’s “Immortal Songs”, MBC’s “King of Mask Singer”, and SBS’s “Inkigayo”. Buoyed by the enthusiastic response to “Eolkeunhan Dangsin”, he continues to be active across both variety and music, and this past January he received the “Singer of the Year” at the 2026 Korea Traditional Music Awards, cementing his status as a representative of authentic trot.

MBN’s trot audition “Unknown Legend”, which continues to feature Shin Sung’s exquisite stages, airs every Wednesday at 9:40 p.m.