Trot Competition Winner Reveals Turned Down SHINee Offer from Lee Soo-man to Pursue Own Dream

On the June 10 episode of SBS’s variety show Dolsing Four Men, Mr. Trot 3 winner Kim Yong-bin made a surprising revelation: he once turned down an offer from SM Entertainment’s founder Lee Soo-man to become a member of SHINee, choosing trot music instead.

During the episode, Kim Yong-bin appeared alongside fellow Mr. Trot 3 contestants Son Bin-a, Choon-gil, Choi Jae-myung, and Chu Hyuk-jin. As soon as he appeared, the cast mentioned his Mr. Trot 3 grand prize, and Kim candidly shared, “The prize money was 300 million KRW. The first thought I had when I received it was, ‘I’m going to lose a lot in taxes.'”

Lee Sang-min remarked that Kim Yong-bin was known as a trot prodigy in the past and had gained fame at a young age. Kim responded, “I debuted in 2004 on KBS’s ‘Gayo Stage’ when I was just 13 years old.”

Then Lee Sang-min asked, “I heard you were cast multiple times by SM Entertainment to become an idol, but you turned it down to pursue trot. Is that true?” Kim confirmed the rumor and shared the full story.

“I once appeared as a guest on an MBC comedy program,” Kim recalled. “Afterward, someone told me, ‘Lee Soo-man wants to meet you,’ and I was invited to the company.”

The singer then revealed, “A few days later, I went to Lee Soo-man’s office. He told me, ‘We’re putting together a group called SHINee, and I’d like you to join.'”

The revelation sparked surprise among the cast, with fellow guest Son Bin-a playfully commenting, “If that had happened, you would’ve been dancing to SHINee’s ‘Ring Ding Dong,’ right?”—drawing laughter across the studio.

Although Kim ultimately chose to follow his passion for trot music, his story adds a fascinating “what could have been” moment to the K-pop timeline, offering fans a glimpse into the high-stakes, behind-the-scenes world of idol recruitment.