[Exclusive interview] Trot singer Go Jung-woo, who plays the ”ama” diver who appears in ”Mister Trot 3,” says, ”I've loved enka since I was little, so I want to perform it in Japan.”

He appeared on TV CHOSUN's popular trot survival audition program "Mister Trot 3," which aired on the 13th of this month in Korea, and revealed that he has been diving since he was 12 years old, alongside his grandmother, who was a female diver.
Trot singer Go Jung-woo, who used to be a diver who dived into the ocean to catch shellfish, talked about his new song "Unseong" and his activities this year. Q. Please introduce yourself again.
Hello. I'm glad to meet you. To all the readers of wowKorea and to all the fans and netizens who love me! I am a Korean "Min
This is Go Jungwoo, a traditional trot singer with a deep voice who appeared in "Star Trot 2" and "Mr. Trot 3". It's been five years since his debut.
I started trot when I was 2 years old and grew up with my grandmother. I listened to her favorite trot.
As I was playing the songs, they naturally became familiar to my ears, and because I like to sing and dance, I started singing in front of the adults in the neighborhood, acting all naughty, and even getting some pocket money.
Naturally, I started dreaming of becoming a trot singer. Also, when my grandmother passed away, she left a will saying, "I want to see my grandson singing on TV." So I started to nurture that dream.
Q. What is the most memorable show? You appeared on TV CHOSUN's "Mr. Trot 3" in particular. What was the disappointment you felt and the song you sang?
Which song did you like the best? I wasn't the first trot singer to make my TV debut. In Korea, women divers are called "Haenyo" and in Japan they are called "Ama".
I've been working as a diver since I was 12 years old, and I became known as the youngest diver in Korea when I appeared on the SBS program "The World is Full of These Things."
He was known to sometimes sing and work as a diver, and it was through KBS's "Ningen Gekijo" that he really became widely known.
Even now, the first show that comes to mind in my life is KBS's "Human Theatre"
Even now, many people remember me and look me up. Even now, when people, from young to old, see me, they seem to have a strong image of me as a diver from the "Human Theatre."
The title is "Diving". She applied to appear on TV CHOSUN's "Mr. Trot 3" and said, "If I work hard, one day I will be able to become a singer and one day people will be interested in me."
I was prepared for them to understand, so I tried to climb the stairs slowly, one step at a time, even though it was a little slow. However, I didn't have enough strength and I ended up falling halfway up.
But I have no regrets about my performance. I gave it my all, showed everything I had, and always did my best as if it was my last performance, so I have no regrets.
I went to the audition program and made funny comments to the old people and laughed, but I was disappointed that I couldn't do well in the audition program. So in the last stage, I
The response was very good, but I was singing songs that were unfamiliar to the general public and there was no traditional trot, so I wasn't able to show off my strengths.
And I can't dance at all. I'm bad at sports, but I kept practicing dance without sleep for days, and I was burning up while doing a fire performance where I spun a stick with fire on it.
It was really hard and I wanted to give up, but I thought to myself, "I'll try to see it through to the end," and remembered my days as a young diver.
I put on a performance. There is nothing more difficult than diving into the sea to fish, but I wondered if there was anything I couldn't do, so I held my breath and dived into the sea to collect shells and other things.
With that feeling, I took on the challenge. The song I liked the most out of all the songs I sang on the audition program at that time was "Mother," which I sang in the first qualifying round. This song touched my heart the most,
This song has a lot of meaning. It's about a son who died before his mother talking about his mother. It was released by Na Hoon-ah in 1985, but it was banned.
In 2018, I released it again after 35 years. It's a song with such meaning, and I have no regrets even if I fall here, because I think of it as me singing it for my late grandmother.
I think I really put my heart and emotion into the lyrics and sang. And that's why I think I got an all-kill, and it makes me want to cry when I think about it. Q.
I understand that you will be releasing your own song this time. Please introduce it to us. The song you will be releasing this time is a remake.
I was very grateful to receive permission from composer Jung Kyung-cheon and lyricist Ji Myung-gil, who wrote the song "The Great Passage." However, the story behind this song is
There is a song called "Unsei" that I've loved since I was a child. I've always wanted to sing it. I always said that I would sing this song by myself, but
I think I was able to communicate with him. I have a connection with Jeong Kyung-jun, and he is like a father to me when it comes to music. He wrote the lyrics and composed my debut song.
I am very grateful to them for allowing me to record and release the song "Unsei" when I asked for it so badly.
Q. The name of your fan site is "Oyadundun." How many members do you have, and how many of you are ardent fans who always attend every concert? What message would you like to convey to your fans?
Also, what is your nickname among your fans? Is there a fan who is the most memorable? There are so many fans who are the most memorable, but there is one who lives in Kimje.
She was about 78 years old. She came to see me at a concert, but she fell down while rushing to give me a bouquet of flowers and a letter.
After she passed away, her daughter was diagnosed with cancer and said that seeing me during her difficult time was a great comfort to her, and she was happy that I was like a granddaughter to her. She was like my grandmother to me, and I remember her very fondly.
In 2014, I appeared on KBS's "Human Theatre" and was living with my grandmother and working part-time at a sashimi restaurant in Ulsan. Three people came from Japan.
He was a Korean resident of Japan, and he came all the way to Ulsan to meet me because he was so impressed by the program he saw in Japan. I don't remember his name because I was so young, but he came from Japan.
I remember him as the first fan I met. I also have a special memory about Japan. Ulsan is an industrial city, so when someone who is doing business in Japan came to visit, I met him at a sashimi restaurant.
The president of the company asked me to sing, so I sang "Osaka Shigure" by Harumi Miyako, a girl I like, in Japanese. A boy, a very small one at that, was singing in Japanese, and the Japanese people gave him a big round of applause.
I received a tip from him and he said to me in Japanese, "I'll support you." Q. I heard that you appeared on a BTN program. What was the trigger for that?
You also appeared in the musical "Siddhartha." How did you get into this and what were your thoughts about it? I am a Buddhist. I am an active member of the entertainment group Denpo-dan.
I was recommended to appear in "Dalta" by a producer I know, and it was a good opportunity to study acting and grow musically. Also, you say you are a Buddhist, but what about the Buddha?
I didn't study it that deeply, but as I memorized each line in the musical, I worried about how to convey those heavy lines to the audience.
Also, I learned a lot of the Buddha's words, and that was an important turning point for me to awaken there.
At the end of the second act, I saw the image of a Buddha at the very back of the audience seating I was facing. Then, while I was performing, I got goosebumps and tears started to flow.
I thought, "I really learned a lot." I still get goosebumps when I think about being able to see the Buddha. I hope that I can instill good hearts and good thoughts in many people through my songs as I go through life.
I learned a lot about what I need to convey. This musical was a great opportunity for me to learn and grow.
I think it was a valuable learning experience. Q. You haven't been active on YouTube lately. Is there a reason for that? Yes, I'm taking a break from YouTube right now, but I'm thinking of starting again soon.
I think so. I'll renew my YouTube channel and work hard from now on. Q. So, do you have any other important plans for this year besides releasing a new song?
Besides releasing new songs, I'm thinking about a solo concert. That's my biggest plan for this year, and I'm also planning to do a lot of shows. Q.
Do you have plans to expand into Japan? If so, when do you want to do so? Actually, I have a deep connection to Japan. My grandmother was a female diver and my great-grandfather was a diver in Japan.
He was a karate player, and my grandfather's half-brother learned Western clothing techniques in Japan and came to Korea during the Imperial Era and opened a Western clothing store.
I've loved enka since I was little, and I still sing it today. If I have the opportunity, I'd definitely like to come to Japan.
I'm looking forward to meeting my Japanese fans and will be working hard to prepare.