Singer Park Ji-min, celebrated for her victory on ‘K-pop Star,’ drew attention after an unexpected vocal struggle during a recent televised competition.

On the February 22nd broadcast of MBC’s variety show ‘The Champions,’ a lineup of past audition show winners gathered to compete for the ultimate top position. The episode featured the “preliminary ranking” round, designed to select the top five contestants. Park Ji-min, aiming for an upset, took to the stage after previously ranking eighth out of nine contestants during the initial assessment. “There’s nowhere left to go but up. I’m determined to showcase my grit,” she declared before performing.

Panelist Heo Sung-tae voiced his support, admitting he was concerned after seeing Park’s ranking slip the previous week. However, things did not go as planned on stage. Park Ji-min chose WOODZ’s “Drowning” for her performance but struggled with unstable pitch from the very beginning and faced visible difficulty during the high notes. Fellow contestants, who initially reacted with surprise to her song choice, quietly watched as the performance unfolded.

After the stage, judge Huh Gak commented, “This song itself is incredibly difficult.” Vocalist Son Seung-yeon also acknowledged, “It’s definitely not an easy song.” Baek Ji-young added, “It seems your vocal condition wasn’t great today, but seeing you finish the performance was impressive,” showing her concern.

The person most disappointed, however, was Park Ji-min herself. She confessed, “I realized I had lost control from the very first note and knew things had gone wrong. Even if my ranking is low, I have no choice but to accept it. Next time, I’ll return to the stage without any regrets.” In the end, Park Ji-min placed ninth and was eliminated from advancing to the next round.

Note “This article was translated from the original Korean version using AI assistance, and subsequently edited by a native-speaking journalist.”

Photo=Park Ji-min personal account