H a n y a n g U n i v e r s i t y (HYU) held a spring festival, “ R a c h i o s : Leap” for three days, starting f r o m M a y 2 5 t o 2 7 . O n the first day of the festival, there was “Hanyang Singing Contest,” which got a lot of attention from the public. Total of eight teams made it to the finals and sweltering heats filled the stage. Park Ji-yong, a freshman from the Department of Industrial Engineering at HYU, won the Grand Prize.

Q. We heard that you had won the first prize in “Hanyang Singing Contest,” which was held offline in two years. How do you feel about it?

A. First of all, of course, I feel great. I did not expect myself to win the Grand Prize. I was quite nervous back then when I was on the stage. The eight teams, which had made it to the finals, were all outstanding. But, since I won the Grand Prize, I felt grateful.

Q. What made you participate in “Hanyang Singing Contest?”

A. At first, I had no intention to take part in Hanyang Singing Contest. I thought singing on the stage would make me so nervous. Because previously, there were not many opportunities for me to appear on stage due to COVID-19. However, once I made an appearance on the stage for a school club activity, people recommended me to take part in Hanyang Singing Contest. Thus, I decided to participate in it.

Q. What kind of mindset did you have on the stage?

A. I desired to get objective feedback from the audience. Whenever I go to the karaoke with my friends, mostly, they say, “You are talented at singing!” But I wanted to get objective evaluation from the audience aside from my close friends.

Q. What made you become interested in singing?

A. Actually, I was not good at singing when I was in middle school. I have been playing the drum for approximately ten years and was a member of our school’s band, playing drum. By the chance, I stood on the stage as a substitute for the vocalist of our band who could not make to the stage. Since then, I could not forget the clapping and cheering from the audience. More specifically, I began to make an effort in singing after I watch the singer Shin Yong-jae singing in the television program, King of Mask Singer. I was amused by the tone, details and improvisation of his singing. Since then, I started mimicking his songs.

Q. We heard that you have a Youtube Channel. Do you have any plan for your channel?

A. Currently, I do not have specific plans for my channel. However, if I decide to operate a Youtube channel, I think I will simply upload the videos of myself singing.