Ko Woorim Says Fans Rank Him With BTS's V and Felix

Ko Woorim of the vocal crossover group Forestella says overseas fans have put him in K-POP's "big three" of low voices, alongside V of BTS and Felix of Stray Kids. He shared the story on MBC's talk show "Radio Star," which aired on Nov. 11.

Ko appeared on MBC's variety talk show "Radio Star" in an episode that aired on Nov. 11. The episode was a special titled "Janghan, Na," a play on the name of guest Han-Na Chang. Chang is a cellist and conductor who also serves as president of the Seoul Arts Center. Comedian and conductor Kim Hyun Chul and dancer and choreographer Harimu joined them as well.

Ko is known for his very deep bass voice. Among overseas fans, he is often named one of K-POP's "big three" low voices, along with BTS's V and Stray Kids' Felix. He said the voice has its downsides. Even when he makes a light joke, it comes out sounding serious.

That changes at home. Ko said his voice gets higher around Kim Yuna, and he even slips into a cute, playful tone with her.

He also talked about how things changed after his last "Radio Star" appearance. Ko said more people started to see him as friendly and easy to approach. He said it showed him how much reach a broadcast network variety show still has.

He and Kim Yuna watched a rerun of that episode together, he said. Her favorite moment was his impression of Choi Hong-man. Ko said he lost sleep getting ready for this appearance because he was working on new impressions. On the show, he did the voices of actors Han Suk-kyu and Yoon Joo-sang, along with Choi. The bits played against his serious look.

Ko has won seven straight times in the champions' round of the music competition show "Immortal Songs." He credited that run to his powerful low register. To show what he meant, he performed the opening of singer Ahn Ye Eun's "Changgwi."

He then took a test to see how low his voice could go. The deep, rumbling sound he produced reminded many of khoomei, the traditional Mongolian throat-singing style, and it surprised the studio. That scene hit a peak viewership rating of 4.5%. It was the episode's "best minute," the highest-rated moment of the broadcast.

Ko, who is in his fifth year of marriage, also talked about life with Kim Yuna. He said he has almost never talked back to her. When she is upset, he reads the mood first. Then he tries to cheer her up by doing the dishes or giving her a massage.

The most important thing in a marriage, he said, is speaking kindly to each other every day.

He also brought up the excessive gushing comments that pile up on social media. Kim Yuna personally asked people to hold back on them, Ko said. He thanked his wife for looking out for him.