▲ The producer and cast members of SBS music audition variety show "The Ballad of Us 2" pose during a press event at the SBS headquarters in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, on Sept. 30, 2026. From L: Joo Woo-jae, Jung Jae-hyung, Park Kyung-lim, producer Ahn Jung-hyun, Cha Tae-hyun, Moon Geun-young, Jung Seung-hwan and Roy Kim wave at the camera. (Yonhap)

 

SEOUL, Sept. 30 (Yonhap) -- Actress Moon Geun-young is returning as a regular panelist on an entertainment program for the first time in seven years through SBS' "The Ballad of Us 2."

 

At a press event for the new variety show held Wednesday at SBS headquarters in Mok-dong, Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, Moon said she had enjoyed the first season so much that she thought, "I wanted to sit in that seat and listen to them myself," adding that she accepted the offer without hesitation.

 

Having worked in the entertainment industry since her teens and received widespread public attention from a young age, Moon said she had a special reaction to watching this season's contestants perform.

 

"Every stage reminded me of my childhood," she said. "I could relate to what the contestants might have been feeling as they prepared for their performances, so I wanted to give them even more support. I'm watching over them and cheering them on with a warm heart."

 

"The contestants are younger than those in Season 1, but their skills and emotional depth are even more impressive," she said. "I can confidently say that you have plenty to look forward to in Season 2."

 

Moon, who recently married actor Jeong Pyeong, said, "We had a quiet wedding, but so many people congratulated us that I really felt how loved I am." She added with a smile that her husband had also encouraged her before filming by telling her to "do well, just as you always have."

 

▲ The producer and cast members of SBS music audition variety show "The Ballad of Us 2" pose during a press event at the SBS headquarters in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, on Sept. 30, 2026. From L: Joo Woo-jae, Jung Jae-hyung, Park Kyung-lim, producer Ahn Jung-hyun, Cha Tae-hyun, Moon Geun-young, Jung Seung-hwan and Roy Kim attend the event. (Yonhap)

 

"Our Ballad" is a music audition program in which aspiring singers in their teens and 20s perform beloved Korean ballads from the past and are evaluated by a panel. Videos from the first season, which aired last year, surpassed 100 million total views, demonstrating the show's popularity. The number of applicants for the second season has also nearly tripled from the previous season.

 

The average age of the Season 2 contestants is 17.9, down from 18.2 in Season 1. They will perform classic ballads that have been loved for more than four decades, from 1985 to 2025, in front of a 150-member judging panel known as the "Top 100 Ears."

 

Producer Ahn Jung-hyun said he was surprised that the contestants were younger this season.

 

"I expected the average age to be higher in Season 2, but I was surprised to see even younger contestants than in the previous season," Ahn said. "As we searched for people who could present long-loved classics in completely new ways of their own, we ultimately ended up with contestants averaging 17.9 years old."

 

Ahn said the first episode has been given an unusually long 160-minute slot to fully convey the intense immersion and emotion of the performances.

 

"After watching the first episode, I was happy because I became confident that we could convey the overwhelming emotions of the live performances as they were," he said. "Thanks to the company (SBS) promising an expanded time slot, we are able to present a lengthy premiere that will fill Monday night."

 

In addition to Moon, singer Roy Kim and broadcaster Joo Woo-jae will join Season 2 as new representatives of the "Top 100 Ears" panel.

 

Joo, who is known as the "Lim Jin-mo of the modeling world" for his extensive knowledge of popular music, said he had accumulated his knowledge by listening to late-night radio programs and learning about the stories behind music from a young age.

 

"Although the contestants are 17.9 years old on average, their music is by no means shallow," Joo said. "Even if the choices of the Top 100 Ears representatives lean in one direction, the results can be overturned by the general audience's evaluation, so I hope viewers will enjoy the music according to their own tastes."

 

Roy Kim, who won Mnet's audition program "Superstar K 4" in 2012, said, "I remembered being in that position 14 years ago."

 

"Watching friends who aren't already finished singers but are growing rapidly through their performances, I saw hope that Korean ballad music will continue to burn brightly," he said.

 

The returning panelists from Season 1 cited the contestants' improved skills and higher level of stage performance as key points to watch in the second season.

 

Cha Tae-hyun said, "I was harsh on them at times in Season 1, but this time I find myself looking at them with the heart of a parent." He added that the contestants' level had become so high that choosing among them was much more difficult.

 

Park Kyung-lim also said, "This program is a special stage where we get to be part of someone's beginning," adding that "so many precious and new friends are appearing that you wonder how such raw gems had been hidden away."

 

"The Ballad of Us 2" will premiere at 10 p.m. on Oct. 5.

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