Kim Jeong-yeon. J Story
In Family Month, May, singer Kim Jeong-yeon, an icon of filial piety, will become the new face of Mungyeong City in North Gyeongsang Province. Mungyeong City announced that at the closing ceremony of the “2026 Mungyeong Teabowl Festival,” to be held on May 10 across the Mungyeong Saejae Open Set complex, singer Kim Jeong-yeon will be officially appointed as the city’s promotional ambassador.
Debuting in 1991 with the socially conscious music group “Noraereul Channeun Saramdeul (Nochatsa),” Kim Jeong-yeon opened the second act of her life by transitioning to become the first trot singer to emerge from Nochatsa. In particular, for 17 years since 2009, donning her hometown’s bus conductress uniform and traveling country roads nationwide to communicate with seniors, she has established herself as more than a broadcasterbecoming the “nation’s dutiful daughter” and a “region-friendly icon.”
Mungyeong City determined that Kim Jeong-yeon’s broad public recognition and warm image make her the optimal fit to promote the value of Mungyeong’s traditional culture and nature nationwide. Currently rising in profile as a singer⬝broadcaster, Kim is actively working across multiple fields, including as an MC, lecturer, and author.
By appointing singer Kim Jeong-yeon as a promotional ambassador, Mungyeong City has completed a bona fide “trot promotion lineup.” With “God of the Janggu” Park Seo-jin, appointed this January, and “Mr. Trot 2” winner Ahn Sung-hoon already on board, the addition of Kim Jeong-yeon gives Mungyeong the profile of a “trot promotion special zone” that combines a powerful fandom with broad public appeal.
A Mungyeong City official said, “We expect Ms. Kim Jeong-yeon, who has shared warmth while covering every corner of the country on foot, to convey Mungyeong’s charms with the greatest sincerity,” adding, “Holding the appointment ceremony at the closing event that caps the festival will make for an even more meaningful finale.”
Meanwhile, the “2026 Mungyeong Teabowl Festival,” an honorary Culture and Tourism Festival designated by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, is being held successfully for ten days from May 1 under the theme “A Thousand Years of Flame Contained in a Teabowl.” In addition to exhibitions of teabowls fired in traditional wood-fueled kilns, it has strengthened hands-on content for MZ-generation and family visitors, earning favorable reviews. On the final day of the festival, the 10th, a variety of performances will unfold alongside Kim Jeong-yeon’s ambassador appointment ceremony, bringing the event to a grand close.
