From ‘Our Ballad’ to TV Stardom: How Iyeji and Cheon Beom-seok Captivated Audiences in Jeju!

Photo=MBN

[Sports Today reporter Kim Tae-hyung] ‘Our Ballad’ alumni Lee Ye-ji and Cheon Beom-seok made a lively appearance on the Jeju-special episode of MBN’s Jeon Hyun-moo’s Plan 3, which aired on the 13th.

Lee Ye-ji and Cheon Beom-seok energized the broadcast with bright smiles and big reactions throughout the episode spotlighting Jeju residents.

Jeon Hyun-moo, who served as MC on ‘Our Ballad’ last year, introduced them warmly — calling Lee Ye-ji a Jeju native, noting that her father drives a taxi, and joking that he’d once said he wanted to \”pluck out\” Cheon Beom-seok’s vocal cords — a playful display of his fondness for the pair.

A true Jeju local, Lee Ye-ji led the cast to a sea urchin noodle shop she and her father always visit when they’re on the island. She added confidently that when her dad recommends a place, he only tells her after visiting two or three times to be sure it’s genuinely good.

Before they entered, Cheon Beom-seok admitted he was already excited by how appetizing the exterior looked. After tasting the seaweed side dish, Jeon Hyun-moo quipped, \”Would someone Beom-seok’s age even know this flavor?\” Cheon replied with a laugh that he has a \”kid-adult\” palate and that kongguksu (soybean noodle soup) is a nostalgic favorite.

The sea urchin noodles, prepared by a third-generation haenyeo (female diver), arrived piled high with toppings and drew immediate attention. GwakTube praised the rich flavor, noting that the sea urchin aroma rises subtly, while Jeon commented that the broth was refreshingly clean. Lee Ye-ji smiled, saying the strong scent is part of the dish’s appeal.

When asked if she’d ever dived, Lee said she had collected conchs and sea urchins, recalling how she always picked the biggest, most appetizing ones — only to be scolded by her grandmother for taking juveniles. Their lively banter added levity to the episode, underscoring the pair’s emergence as variety-show standouts who have expanded from music into entertainment.

Asked what kind of artist he aspires to be, Cheon Beom-seok declared his ambition: \”I want to be the first name people think of when they think of Korean singer-songwriters.\” Lee Ye-ji said she hopes to be the kind of artist who makes listeners curious whenever she releases a new song, leaving viewers eager for their next moves.

Lee Ye-ji and Cheon Beom-seok are powerful vocalists who finished first and third, respectively, on SBS’s Our Ballad, the country’s first ballad audition program, which concluded in December. They wrapped up the Our Ballad Top 12 national tour after five stops — Seongnam, Daegu, Seoul, Busan, and Daejeon — concluding with a performance in Daejeon on the 7th.

[Sports Today reporter Kim Tae-hyung ent@stoo.com]
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