Im Young-woong's 10-Year Letter to Fans: 'Thank You for Choosing Me'

Im Young-woong debuted on August 8, 2016 with a digital single and a few physical CDs, no stage, no broadcast slot, just a release into the void. Ten years later, he's filling stadiums and writing fan letters that read like the most sincere thing anyone in Korean pop has published this week.

On the anniversary, he posted a photo holding a celebratory cake alongside a message to his fandom Yeongung Sidae (Hero's Era): "Celebrating the 10th anniversary of artist Im Young-woong, and 10 years with Yeongung Sidae. Always stay healthy and happy."

The real statement came in a longer letter he published to his official fan cafe. He didn't lead with gratitude. He led with the gap between where he started and where he is now.

"Ten years ago today, I was someone who felt awkward even with the word debut," he wrote. "No grand stage, no flashy promotion, no TV broadcast, just releasing a song or two and pressing a few CDs. That was my beginning."

What kept him moving, he said, was a single sentence he repeated to himself: I will be the best singer someday. Not a plan. Not a label deal. Just that one line, driving daily. "I fought with myself every day over that one phrase," he wrote.

The turning point was Mr. Trot, the TV Chosun competition that aired in 2020. He won the top prize and walked out of obscurity in a matter of weeks. The leap from unsigned regional singer to nationally recognized star was that abrupt. His debut full-length album IM HERO, released in May 2022, moved over 1.1 million copies in its first week.

Since then, he's sold out K-Sphere Dome, Gocheok Sky Dome, and Seoul World Cup Stadium. The Olympic Main Stadium at Jamsil is currently under renovation, the implication is clear enough.

The letter closed on the fans themselves. "You who play my songs at the end of a long day. You who shout my name until your voice gives out at concerts. And you, reading this letter right now. Each one of you is my stage, my reason, my today."

He ended with a promise to keep singing beside them for a long time, and a wish: "Not sad, but beautiful for a long time. Not dark, but brilliant every day. Healthy and happy. More lovely today than yesterday. I love you, Yeongung Sidae."

The next chapter arrives September 4–6, when he takes the stage at Goyang Stadium in Gyeonggi Province for IM HERO: THE STADIUM 2 IN GOYANG, his second stadium-scale concert run.