In a new Esquire Korea video released today, Lim Young-woong flipped through photos from the past ten years and admitted something many of his fans already suspected: he never imagined any of this would last.
The singer, who marked his official debut anniversary on August 8, sat down for the magazine’s YouTube channel and walked through the milestones that turned a quiet 2016 single release into one of South Korea’s most consistent solo careers. He singled out 2022 as the year that still feels unreal. “It was a dreamlike year,” he said. “I won so many awards. Even now, every day feels like something to be thankful for.” He then recalled the sold-out national tours and the stadium shows that followed, noting that right after Mr. Trot ended in 2020 he simply did not expect the momentum to continue at this scale.
For readers outside Korea, that context matters. Lim debuted on August 8, 2016, with the single “I Hate You” under the independent label Mulgogi Music. Four years of modest activity later, he won the first season of TV Chosun’s Mr. Trot in March 2020, taking roughly 1.4 million votes out of more than 17,000 applicants. The victory triggered a wave of chart dominance, a first studio album that moved more than a million copies in its opening week, and arena-to-stadium tours that routinely sell out in minutes. His fandom, Hero Generation (영웅시대), has grown from a few dozen early supporters into one of the country’s most organized and generous fan communities, regularly ranking him at the top of popularity charts for hundreds of consecutive weeks. Next month he returns to the stage for “IM HERO – THE STADIUM 2” at Goyang Stadium (September 4–6) and drops the special digital album IM HERO 10 on September 8.
International fans have responded to the Esquire clip with quiet appreciation rather than frenzy. Many shared screenshots of his final message to himself “You’ve worked hard for ten years. Don’t lose that beginner’s heart” and noted how rare it still feels to hear a mainstream star sound this grounded. English-language fan accounts and overseas Hero Generation groups circulated the video with captions emphasizing gratitude over hype, treating the reflection as another reminder of why they stuck around long after the initial Mr. Trot boom.
The video itself is short, personal, and free of the usual promotional gloss. Lim simply turns the pages, talks about the surprise of sustained success, and ends by wishing his past self the same steady focus he still tries to carry. For a singer who has spent the better part of a decade filling stadiums and topping charts, that understated tone may be the most telling detail of all.