A same-age pair born in '95, Korean and Japanese kings of music Park Seo-jin and Takenaka Yudai sweep the scene with a cross-border "revenge match of the century."
The second episode of MBN's 2025 Korea-Japan king of music competition, commemorating the 60th anniversary of Korea-Japan diplomatic relations, which aired on the 9th (Tuesday), recorded a peak rating of 6.2%, continuing its dominance as the No. 1 rated entertainment program among all variety shows broadcast on terrestrial, comprehensive news, and cable channels on Tuesday. It has also conquered various buzz indicators, instantly ranking in the TOP10 for non-drama TV-OTT topicality and search response in the first week of September announced by FUNdex and Good Data Corporation.
In the third episode of 2025 Korea-Japan king of music competition airing today, the result of the first match of the best-of-three main competition will be announced. The second round of the main competition, consisting of a "one-on-one single song battle" in which contestants split and sing famous songs from both Korea and Japan, and a "solo face-off," will follow.
Relatedly, the same-age pair born in '95 who drew explosive attention for their head-to-head match in the preliminaries, Korean king of music Park Seo-jin and Yudai, will once again trigger a big match in the main competition's second round "one-on-one single song battle." The two, who had previously met alone and spent a special time of friendship ahead of their song battle, revealed unusual feelings before the match that drew attention. Park Seo-jin said, "I'm curious how our synergy will be when the two of us meet. Our goal is to leave behind the songs that Park Seo-jin and Yudai sing," and Yudai also said, "Seo-jin~ let's sing good songs together," foreshadowing a moving stage beyond victory and defeat.
Meanwhile, it became known that Park Seo-jin and Yudai selected "I LOVE YOU," the biggest hit by Ozaki Yutaka released in 1983 and famously remade in Korea by Position, prompting cheers of anticipation from the celebrity judging panel and audience. Park Seo-jin showcased the song with her characteristic sweet voice, while Yudai delivered it with a heavy, emotional voice different from his previous rock versions, drawing admiration. Moreover, the beautiful harmony they produced while switching between Korean and Japanese amid explosive tension brought viewers to tears at the scene. After their performance, Japanese celebrity judge Shigeru praised them, saying, "It was an incredible match where either could have won. This is exactly a Korea-Japan showdown."
How did the stage by Korea-Japan kings of music Park Seo-jin and Yudai, which captivated everyone's full attention, turn out? Will Park Seo-jin, who won one close victory in the previous preliminaries, continue her winning streak this time, or will Yudai succeed in his revenge? These questions have drawn intense interest.
The production team said, "The stage featuring the same-age pair born in '95, Korean and Japanese kings of music Park Seo-jin and Yudai, literally wrapped the venue in emotion," and asked viewers to share "that radiant moment the two created, regardless of the outcome."
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