THE KINGDOM
The group THE KINGDOM had left Korea for the Philippines with the firm determination to seize opportunities in a global market.
There, members ARTHUR and IVAN participated in an audition program, dreaming solely of an international career, and respectively achieved first and third place. They were also recognized as talented Korean participants.
However, their debut was ultimately canceled. According to an exclusive report by YTN Star last month, the debut project for the nine finalists of the Philippine cable channel TV5 audition program “Be the NEXT: 9 Dreamers“ (hereafter “9 Dreamers”) was practically abandoned.
In a recent interview with Korean media, ARTHUR and IVAN shared their honest feelings. ARTHUR explained that from the second mission, he began to suspect something was wrong: after the first round, the second round was postponed for two months without any detailed information, and when the second round stage finally took place, no audience was invited as planned. He said, “I felt something was off. Some participants from season 1 said season 2 was strange.”
During these two months, the participants had to stay at the hotel and could only practice. For safety reasons, they could neither go out nor return to Korea.
ARTHUR added:
“It was really discouraging. I joined to have fun on stage and meet Filipino fans, but we couldn’t really see the fans and only practiced at the hotel. I felt useless. Since I saw no prospects, IVAN and I started to get exhausted and our motivation decreased.”
Despite these difficult moments, the two members kept the dream of performing on bigger stages. IVAN said, “At first, it was hard to adjust, but we ended up getting used to it and told ourselves, ‘Let’s see how far we can go,’ and we held on until the end.”
When the final group was announced, the joy of winning first place after so many obstacles was immense. IVAN stated, “It was a moment we will never experience again in life. We returned to Korea grateful to have made it that far.” ARTHUR added, “It was a fun stage to finish, and despite the cultural differences, I felt real unity on stage.“
However, overcoming cultural differences and unstable production conditions made the cancellation even more bitter. Busking performances, fansigns, and simultaneous activities in Korea and the Philippines that they had hoped for never took place, and the time of the other members waiting for them was also lost.
LOUIS, another member, observed: “We were also affected. As a small agency, every day is hard to attract a few fans, and after a forced one-year break, our already modest fandom decreased. Even though the two members did their best, the returning team’s strength decreased, further reducing our energy.“
Summer 2025 was a difficult period for THE KINGDOM. After this debut cancellation for ARTHUR and IVAN, the group was preparing for a comeback, but the sudden military enlistment of leader DAN struck the group.
Temporarily reduced to five members, THE KINGDOM released in September its special album “THE FLOWER OF THE MOON”. After the frustration from the debut cancellation, this comeback was highly anticipated, and the situation became more complicated with the leader absent at the time of release. ARTHUR explained: “We spent a lot of time readjusting all the songs for five people.”
Despite everything, THE KINGDOM remained united. LOUIS said, “On the contrary, it strengthened us. Everyone took more responsibility, and our determination made the comeback possible.” Member JAHAN added: “We had to adjust everything at once, and if one of us didn’t follow, everything would have been compromised. But we were five, and everyone did their part to make the activity succeed.”
After a one-year and five-month break, THE KINGDOM focused on highlighting its strengths. Known so far for concepts inspired by the Orient, this time they emphasized Korean culture. The title “화월가” modernly incorporates the Miryang Arirang, and the choreography includes fan dance. Members also wore hanboks on stage, fully revealing Korean colors.
THE KINGDOM presented this showcase highlighting Korean beauty on October 29 during a satellite event at the APEC summit. The members performed “화월가” and “승천” wearing hanboks in front of leaders from different countries.
In the interview before the performance, they showed strengthened determination for this national event. LOUIS said about the Korean-colored stage: “It fits us perfectly. We could continue expressing our identity by incorporating more Korean aesthetics.“
From the debut cancellation in the Philippines to the APEC stage, THE KINGDOM experienced a more dramatic 2025 than ever and is now preparing for a new comeback scheduled for next February.
Journalist: Shawn
Translator: Shawn
Source: SNS THE KINGDOM, Media YTN
