Korean Trot Music: Where to Hear It, Top Songs and Noraebang Numbers
Trot music (트로트) is Korea's oldest popular music genre: a steady two-beat "oom-pah" rhythm that Koreans call ppongjjak (뽕짝), under a voice that bends and breaks each long note, a technique called kkeokgi (꺾기). It took shape in the 1930s, faded behind K-pop in the 1990s, and came back through TV audition shows from 2019. To hear Korean trot music this week, turn on KBS1's 가요무대 (Gayo Stage) on Monday at 10 pm or TV Chosun on Thursday and Friday at 10 pm; to sing it, punch 12667 on a TJ machine (or 9647 on KY) for Jang Yoon-jeong's "Eomeona". Audition-show tour seats this winter cost ₩88,000–₩154,000 (Incheon, 5 December).
Last updated: 29 October 2026. TV slots, ticket prices and karaoke numbers were checked that day on Korean sources: KBS and TV Chosun schedules as reported in Korean entertainment news (19–23 October 2026), NOL Ticket show pages, the TJ Media and Kumyoung (KY) song search pages, and Melon's Top 100 chart at 02:00 KST on 29 October. ₩1,334 = US$1 (Federal Reserve, 16 October 2026). Sources at the end.
Lim Young-woong's first full album, IM HEROAffiliate link. As an Amazon Associate, EpicKor earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
Trot Music in Korea Right Now: Quick Guide
| If you want to… | Do this | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Watch the classic trot show | 가요무대 (Gayo Stage), KBS1, every Monday 10:00 pm KST — episode 1969 aired 19 October 2026 | Wikitree, 19 Oct 2026 |
| Watch the new-generation stars | 미스트롯 포유 (Miss Trot For You), TV Chosun, Thursday 10:00 pm; 금타는 금요일, TV Chosun, Friday 10:00 pm | Special Times, 23 Oct 2026; Ilgan Sports, 24 Sep 2026 |
| Catch the next big audition | Mr. Trot 4 (미스터트롯4), TV Chosun, premieres December 2026 | Ilgan Sports, 19 Oct 2026 |
| Go to a concert | Audition-show tour seats in Incheon this winter run ₩88,000–₩154,000 (US$66–$115); Lim Young-woong's September stadium shows were ₩121,000–₩198,000 (US$91–$148) | NOL Ticket, 29 Oct 2026 |
| Sing one at a noraebang | "Eomeona" (어머나): TJ 12667 / KY 9647. Full list below | TJ Media, KY, 29 Oct 2026 |
| Stream the biggest name | Lim Young-woong is the only trot-show star in Melon's Top 100: "Love Always Runs Away" at No. 76, "Our Blues" at No. 93 | Melon, 29 Oct 2026, 02:00 KST |
BONAOK Bluetooth Karaoke Microphone — a handheld mic with its own speaker. Trot is built for the karaoke room, and kkeokgi is easier to try at home first, along with a YouTube backing track, than on your first night in a noraebang. Check the current price on the listing. As an Amazon Associate, EpicKor earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
See the karaoke mic on AmazonWhat Trot Sounds Like
Three things make a song sound like trot to a Korean ear.
- The beat. A simple, insistent two-beat pulse — the "ppong-jjak, ppong-jjak" that gives the genre its nickname. The word "trot" itself comes from the American foxtrot, whose two-beat rhythm the genre borrowed; beyond that rhythm, the two have little in common.
- The voice. Kkeokgi is the sharp bend or catch a singer puts into a held note, splitting it into a quick run of wavering smaller ones. A trot singer who cannot do it convincingly does not really sound like a trot singer.
- The words. Longing, separation and homesickness, tied to the Korean idea of han (한, a deep, historically rooted sorrow) — but often sung to a bouncy tune with deliberately cheerful words, the heung (흥, joyful energy) side. That clash of a sad sound and a dancing beat is trot's real signature.
The genre grew up in the 1930s, under Japanese colonial rule, alongside Japanese enka and Western jazz. Which way the influence ran is still argued in Korea — Koga Masao, the composer called the father of enka, spent part of his childhood in colonial Korea — and Koreans call the argument the ppongjjak debate. It had consequences: Lee Mi-ja's "Dongbaek Agassi" (동백 아가씨, 1964) was put on the government's banned list in 1965 and again in 1968 as "Japanese-tinged", and was not cleared until 1987.
The Singers and Songs to Know
You do not need a history lesson to enjoy trot, but you do need a starting playlist. These are the names and songs you will hear on 가요무대, at a family wedding after-party or from the next room at a noraebang.
| Singer | Start with | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Lee Mi-ja (이미자) | "Dongbaek Agassi" (동백 아가씨) | The 1964 hit that was banned for 22 years |
| Nam Jin (남진) | "Nimgwa Hamkke" (님과 함께) | One of trot's first TV-era idols, from the late 1960s |
| Na Hoon-a (나훈아) | "Tes-hyeong!" (테스형!) | Nam Jin's 1970s rival; on this 2020 song he calls Socrates "hyeong" (big brother) and asks him what life is |
| Kim Soo-hee (김수희) | "Namhaeng Yeolcha" (남행열차) | The up-tempo "southbound train" sing-along |
| Jang Yoon-jeong (장윤정) | "Eomeona" (어머나) | The 2004 hit that kept trot alive in the K-pop years |
| Kim Yon-ja (김연자) | "Amor Fati" (아모르 파티) | Trot over a dance beat |
| Lim Young-woong (임영웅) | "Love Always Runs Away" (사랑은 늘 도망가) | Mr. Trot winner (2020) and the genre's biggest star |
| Lee Chan-won (이찬원), Young Tak (영탁) | "Jjinia" (찐이야), Young Tak | Mr. Trot 2020 finalists who became headliners |
Trot on Korean TV This Season
Korean trot lives on television more than in clubs, so the TV schedule is the most reliable way to hear it. All times are Korea time (KST, UTC+9).
| Show | Channel | When | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|
| 가요무대 (Gayo Stage, "Golden Oldies") | KBS1 | Monday 10:00 pm | On air since 4 November 1985. Veteran and younger singers cover classic songs; the 19 October 2026 episode (No. 1969) had Kim Su-chan singing Nam Jin and Jo Hang-jo closing the show |
| 전국노래자랑 (National Singing Contest) | KBS1 | Sunday 12:10 pm | A touring amateur contest filmed on a different town's outdoor stage. Episode 2185 (4 October 2026) came from Pyoseon Beach, Jeju, in a 90-minute special; the episode before it drew 6.5% |
| 미스트롯 포유 (Miss Trot For You) | TV Chosun | Thursday 10:00 pm | Spin-off of Miss Trot 4 with team and duet battles. 3.7% on 22 October 2026 |
| 금타는 금요일 | TV Chosun | Friday 10:00 pm | Weekly trot competition featuring Mr. Trot 3 winner Kim Yong-bin; 4.3% on 3 July 2026 |
| Mr. Trot 4 (미스터트롯4) | TV Chosun | From December 2026 | Fourth male audition. Former finalists Lee Chan-won, Kim Hee-jae, Ahn Seong-hoon, Park Ji-hyun, Kim Yong-bin and Son Bin-a join as "masters" |
The ratings are Nielsen Korea nationwide figures, as reported in the Korean press. The weekly shows sit at 3–7%; the finales are where trot shows break records.
Why the audition finales matter
The revival has a date: 12 March 2020, when the finale of TV Chosun's Mr. Trot drew 35.7%, passing the 23.8% that JTBC's SKY Castle had set as the previous cable record with its February 2019 finale. Viewers sent more than 7.7 million text votes in the two-hour finale, and the vote count jammed badly enough that the winner, Lim Young-woong, was announced two days later. The format has kept working since:
| Finale | Channel | Date | Rating | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mr. Trot | TV Chosun | 12 Mar 2020 | 35.7% | Lim Young-woong |
| Mr. Trot 3 | TV Chosun | 13 Mar 2025 | 19.1% | Kim Yong-bin |
| Miss Trot 4 | TV Chosun | 5 Mar 2026 | 18.1% (peak 18.4%) | Lee So-na |
TV Chosun no longer has the field to itself. MBN runs its own trot auditions: Hyeonyeok Gawang 3 (현역가왕3), won by Hong Ji-yoon, and the male audition Mumyeong Jeonseol (무명전설), whose live final was set for 13 May 2026 and whose top seven are now touring. When TV Chosun gave its slots to the Asian Games in late September 2026, MBN filled the Chuseok holiday with trot specials.
Trot Concert Tickets: Prices and Dates
Trot tours are sold on Korean ticket sites — this season mostly NOL Ticket (the former Interpark Ticket). Prices from the show pages, read on 29 October 2026:
| Show | Venue and date | Seat prices | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mumyeong Jeonseol tour (무명전설 전국투어), Incheon | Namdong Gymnasium, Sat 5 Dec 2026, 1 pm and 6 pm (120 min, age 8+) | R ₩154,000 (US$115) · S ₩143,000 (US$107) · A ₩121,000 (US$91) · B ₩88,000 (US$66) | Listed on NOL Ticket; tickets ship 17–18 Nov |
| Sim Soo-bong national tour (심수봉), Chilgok show | In-dang Art Hall, Daegu Health College, Sun 6 Dec 2026, 7 pm (age 8+) | R ₩110,000 (US$82); other classes on the page's full price list | Listed on NOL Ticket; booking not yet open on 29 Oct |
| Lim Young-woong, IM HERO – THE STADIUM 2 | Goyang Stadium, 4–6 Sep 2026, 6:30 pm (age 7+) | ₩198,000 (US$148) · ₩176,000 (US$132) · ₩165,000 (US$124) · restricted-view ₩121,000 (US$91) | Over. Sold through NOL Ticket only, two per person per show |
Three practical points:
- The big names sell out at the general sale. Lim Young-woong's stadium run opened at 8 pm on 16 July 2026 and sold out; a batch of extra seats followed on 6 August, and the venue had no box-office sale on the day. If a top trot star announces a tour, the general sale is your one real chance.
- Smaller tours cost less. Audition-show group tours and veteran singers' hall shows, like the two December dates above, were still listed with seat prices on 29 October and top out below a major K-pop arena seat. Check the seat map on the page for what is left.
- Check the foreigner site first. NOL World (the former Interpark Global) needs an account verified with a non-Korean passport; if the show is listed there, book there. Our K-pop concert tickets guide walks through each foreigner ticket site and the passport name check at the door.
Noraebang Numbers for Trot Classics (TJ and KY)
Most Korean karaoke rooms run machines from one of two companies, TJ Media or Kumyoung (KY), and each uses its own song numbers, so check the logo on the remote or the screen before you type. These numbers come from each company's own song search on 29 October 2026; where a song has several versions, this is the original singer's.
| Song | Singer | TJ | KY |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eomeona (어머나) | Jang Yoon-jeong | 12667 | 9647 |
| Sarangui Baeteori (사랑의 배터리) | Hong Jin-young | 31308 | 46697 |
| Nae Naiga Eottaeseo (내 나이가 어때서) | Oh Seung-geun | 35940 | 47900 |
| Namhaeng Yeolcha (남행열차) | Kim Soo-hee | 911 | 1367 |
| Mujogeon (무조건) | Park Sang-cheol | 14712 | 45167 |
| Amor Fati (아모르 파티) | Kim Yon-ja | 37173 | 48176 |
| Dongbaek Agassi (동백 아가씨) | Lee Mi-ja | 1229 | 863 |
| Nimgwa Hamkke (님과 함께) | Nam Jin | 411 | 648 |
| Tes-hyeong! (테스형!) | Na Hoon-a | 75525 | 28031 |
| Ije Naman Mideoyo (이제 나만 믿어요) | Lim Young-woong | 89266 | 27628 |
| Sarangeun Neul Domangga (사랑은 늘 도망가) | Lim Young-woong | 80548 | 23291 |
| Jjinia (찐이야) | Young Tak | 89168 | 21625 |
If you only learn one, make it "Eomeona": the hook is the word 어머나 ("oh my!") sung twice, so you can join in on the first listen. "Namhaeng Yeolcha" and "Mujogeon" are the up-tempo picks for the end of a night. Our noraebang guide covers how private rooms and song queues work, and the coin noraebang guide covers the pay-per-song booths where you can practise alone first.
Trot on the Streaming Charts
Trot's audience is older and watches TV, so the genre barely shows up on Korea's main streaming chart — with one exception. On Melon's Top 100 at 02:00 KST on 29 October 2026, the only trot-show star was Lim Young-woong, with "Love Always Runs Away" (사랑은 늘 도망가) at No. 76 and "Our Blues" (우리들의 블루스) at No. 93. Both are ballads more than ppongjjak, which helps him reach listeners who would never pick a trot song.
His numbers are in a different league from the rest of the genre:
- 14.2 billion cumulative streams on Melon as of 18 July 2026, the most of any artist on the service (Sports Kyunghyang, citing Melon).
- No. 2 among the most-streamed artists on Spotify in Korea in 2025, behind BTS's Jimin (Sports Kyunghyang, 4 December 2025).
From abroad, Spotify is the simplest route, and it is where he ranked second in Korea in 2025. Start with the songs in the tables above, then follow the related-artist lists to Lee Chan-won, Young Tak and Song Ga-in.
Trot vs K-pop: The Difference
| Trot | K-pop | |
|---|---|---|
| Sound | Two-beat ppongjjak rhythm; kkeokgi note-bends | Any modern pop style — dance, hip-hop, EDM, ballad |
| Age | Took shape in the 1930s | Took over the charts from the 1990s |
| How stars are made | Mostly TV audition shows on TV Chosun and MBN, plus decades on stage | Years of agency trainee programmes, then a group debut |
| Core audience | Middle-aged and older Koreans, now with younger fans since 2020 | Teens and twenty-somethings, in Korea and worldwide |
| Where you hear it | Weekly TV (가요무대, TV Chosun), noraebang, family events | Streaming charts, music shows, global tours |
| Concert seats (Korea, 2026) | About ₩88,000–₩154,000 for winter tours; Lim Young-woong's sold-out September stadium seats were ₩121,000–₩198,000 | About ₩154,000–₩198,000 for major arena shows (our ticket guide) |
| Streaming chart | Lim Young-woong alone in Melon's Top 100 (29 Oct 2026) | K-pop, ballads and indie acts — nearly all of the Top 100 |
The line is blurrier than the table suggests. K-pop idols have recorded trot songs for years, and trot stars now sell albums and fill stadiums like idols. But if a song has a ppongjjak beat and a singer bending every long note, Koreans will call it trot.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is trot music? Trot (트로트) is Korea's oldest popular music genre, built on a two-beat rhythm called ppongjjak and an emotional, note-bending vocal style called kkeokgi. It took shape in the 1930s, and its name comes from the American foxtrot.
Q: Where can I watch trot on Korean TV? KBS1's 가요무대 airs every Monday at 10 pm KST and has been on since 1985. TV Chosun runs trot shows on Thursday and Friday at 10 pm, and Mr. Trot 4 starts on TV Chosun in December 2026.
Q: How much is a trot concert ticket in Korea? On NOL Ticket in October 2026, seats for the Mumyeong Jeonseol audition-show tour in Incheon on 5 December cost ₩88,000–₩154,000 (US$66–$115). Lim Young-woong's September 2026 stadium shows cost ₩121,000–₩198,000 and sold out at the general sale.
Q: What is the noraebang number for "Eomeona"? 12667 on a TJ Media machine and 9647 on a KY (Kumyoung) machine, as listed on each company's song search in October 2026. Check the logo on the remote first, because the two brands use different numbers.
Q: Is trot the same as K-pop? No. Trot is older, uses a fixed two-beat rhythm and a note-bending vocal style, and its stars mostly come from TV audition shows. K-pop covers modern pop styles, and its stars mostly come from agency trainee systems.
Q: Who is the most famous trot singer? Lim Young-woong, the 2020 Mr. Trot winner. He has the most cumulative streams of any artist on Melon and played Goyang Stadium for three nights in September 2026.
Sources
Read or checked on 29 October 2026 unless a date is given.
- Wikitree: 가요무대 episode 1969, KBS1, Monday 19 October 2026, 10 pm (published 19 October 2026)
- Insight: 전국노래자랑 episode 2185, Pyoseon Beach, Jeju, Sunday 4 October 2026, 12:10 pm, 90-minute special; episode 2184 at 6.5% (1 October 2026)
- Special Times: 미스트롯 포유, TV Chosun, Thursday 10 pm, 3.7% on 22 October 2026 (23 October 2026)
- News Seoul: 금타는 금요일, TV Chosun, Friday 10 pm, 4.3% on 3 July 2026 (6 July 2026)
- Ilgan Sports: Chuseok trot schedules, TV Chosun Asian Games break, MBN specials (24 September 2026)
- Ilgan Sports: Mr. Trot 4 premieres on TV Chosun in December 2026, master line-up (19 October 2026)
- Korea Times: Mr. Trot finale 35.7%, 7.7 million votes (30 March 2020)
- allkpop: SKY Castle finale records 23.78% (Nielsen, February 2019)
- TV Daily via Daum: Mr. Trot 3 final, Kim Yong-bin wins, 19.1% (14 March 2025)
- News Seoul: Miss Trot 4 final, Lee So-na wins, 18.1%, peak 18.4% (6 March 2026)
- Sports Kyunghyang: 무명전설 (MBN) live final 13 May and TOP7 tour on NOL Ticket (28 April 2026)
- Sports Kyunghyang: Hong Ji-yoon, winner of MBN's 현역가왕3 (8 April 2026)
- NOL Ticket: 2026 무명전설 전국투어 콘서트 – 인천, seat prices
- NOL Ticket: 2026 심수봉 전국투어 콘서트, Chilgok show
- NOL Ticket: 2026 임영웅 콘서트 IM HERO – THE STADIUM 2, seat prices and booking rules
- Sports Kyunghyang: Lim Young-woong THE STADIUM 2 sells out (17 July 2026)
- Kyunghyang Shinmun: Na Hoon-a's "Tes-hyeong!", from the August 2020 album 아홉 이야기 (2 September 2020)
- Sports Kyunghyang: THE STADIUM 2 general sale opens 16 July 2026, 8 pm, NOL Ticket (16 July 2026)
- TJ Media song search (song numbers)
- Kumyoung (KY) song search (song numbers)
- Melon Top 100 chart, 29 October 2026, 02:00 KST
- Sports Kyunghyang: Lim Young-woong passes 14.2 billion Melon streams (20 July 2026)
- Sports Kyunghyang: Lim Young-woong No. 2 on Spotify in Korea in 2025 (4 December 2025)
- BBC: Trot, the sad soundtrack of colonial Korea is back
- Wikipedia: Trot (music) — origins, "Dongbaek Agassi" ban and lifting
- Wikipedia: Golden Oldies / 가요무대, first aired 4 November 1985
- Exchange rate: Federal Reserve H.10 (FRED DEXKOUS), ₩1,334.03 = US$1 on 16 October 2026, rounded to ₩1,334.
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