The music battle between Korea and Japan has begun. The first episode of MBN's "2025 Korea-Japan Music King Battle," which aired at 9:50 PM on the 2nd, is a large-scale national music competition commemorating the 60th anniversary of Korea-Japan diplomatic relations. It made a strong start by ranking first in viewership ratings in its time slot from the very first episode.

This program showcased a thrilling progression through a fresh format consisting of the appearance of the Korea and Japan representative teams, a declaration ceremony, and ranking battles. In particular, the same-age showdown between Korea's number one Park Seo-jin and Japan's number one Takenaka Yudai was presented as the finale stage, receiving great acclaim. Both artists share the commonality of overcoming long periods of obscurity to reach the top.

Park Seo-jin demonstrated his unique solid vocal power and energetic janggu performance through "Bae Ttwieora." This stage well represented the strength of Korean trot music. On the other hand, Yudai expressed "Walking with you" with a sweet tone and a modern J-pop sensibility, delivering a fresh shock to the audience. Their performances created a symbolic moment of communication through music beyond borders.

The YouTube stage clips of Park Seo-jin and Yudai released immediately after the broadcast surpassed a combined 1 million views in just two days. Fans showed various reactions such as, "A legendary stage, a scene to remember for a lifetime," "I couldn't stop getting goosebumps while watching," "How can anyone beat Park Seo-jin," and "How did they manage to cast Yudai?" They also expressed anticipation, saying, "It's amazing how Korean trot and J-pop can blend like this," and "Thanks to their chemistry, I'm definitely watching every week's live broadcast."

The Korean fandom is enthusiastic about Park Seo-jin's explosive vocal ability, while the Japanese fandom responds to Yudai's sweet tone and J-pop sensibility. Despite different languages and genres, the two fandoms communicate in real time through comment sections, maximizing the tension of the "Korea-Japan battle."

On the 9th, the results of the preliminary face-off will be revealed. Attention is focused on who will claim the first victory between Park Seo-jin and Yudai. The production team explained, "Japan's active artists are coming out armed with new genres of music, and Korea's active artists are also stepping up with various musical variations, targeting the tastes of the 2030 MZ generation fans."

They also stated, "The broadcast on the 9th will feature the preliminary results of Park Seo-jin vs. Yudai and Enok vs. Takuya, along with even stronger, record-breaking stages. Please look forward to it."

"2025 Korea-Japan Music King Battle" will air at 9:50 PM on the 9th. This program is expected to contribute to enhancing cultural understanding through musical exchange between the two countries.