Critic Im Jin-mo speaks about late son on tvN's You Quiz on the Block
In short
Music critic Im Jin-mo (임진모) appeared on tvN's talk show You Quiz on the Block, which aired on 21 October. He spoke about his son, who died of a brain tumour in 2021 at the age of 33, and about K-pop. Outlets said he wore his son's socks to the recording.
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Music critic Im Jin-mo spoke about his late son and his career on tvN's talk show You Quiz on the Block, Newsis reported. The episode, number 365 and titled 'The Name Is the Genre', was due to air at 8:45 pm on 21 October, according to Newsis. [ 1 , 4 ]
Im said his son died of a brain tumour in 2021 at the age of 33. Newsis said the son had been ill for seven years. Chosun Ilbo said five years had passed since the death and that Im's longing remained. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
Dong-A Ilbo reported that Im said his trademark bow tie began on his son's recommendation, and that he feels he is 'together with' his son when he wears it. It quoted him as saying that a few months before he died, the son became his manager and chose a bow tie to match each outfit. Newsis said Im recalled that the son also drove for him. [ 3 , 4 ]
Newsis and Chosun Ilbo reported that Im wore his son's socks to the recording. Newsis quoted him as saying he regretted only keeping his son at home to recuperate instead of taking him to see good places, and as saying: 'When my son closed his eyes, I went with him entirely.' [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
Newsis and Chosun Ilbo said Im has worked with broadcaster Bae Chul-soo (배철수) for 32 years and has a career of nearly 40 years. Newsis said he also explained why he left newspaper reporting for music criticism. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
On K-pop, Newsis and Chosun Ilbo said Im called the global success of BTS and other K-pop acts a 'K-pop revolution'. Chosun Ilbo quoted him calling it a 'declaration of musical independence from America' and said he gave his views on the Grammy boycott. Dong-A Ilbo said major agencies including BTS had refused to submit entries to the Grammy Awards. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Why it matters
The coverage is of an entertainment broadcast and gives no wider consequences. Korean outlets focused on the critic's personal account of his son and on his views on K-pop and the Grammys.
Key facts
- Music critic Im Jin-mo appeared in episode 365 of tvN's talk show You Quiz on the Block (유 퀴즈 온 더 블럭), titled 'The Name Is the Genre', which aired at 8:45 pm on 21 October. [ 1 ]
- Im said his son died in 2021 of a brain tumour at the age of 33. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Newsis reported that the son had been ill for seven years. [ 4 ]
- Im's trademark bow tie began on his son's recommendation, according to Dong-A Ilbo and Newsis. [ 3 , 4 ]
- Im wore his son's socks to the recording, according to Newsis and Chosun Ilbo. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Im described the global success of K-pop, including BTS, as a 'K-pop revolution' and gave his views on a boycott of the Grammys. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Im Jin-mo appeared on tvN's You Quiz on the Block on 21 October. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Im's son died in 2021 of a brain tumour at the age of 33. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Im's bow tie is linked to his son: it started on the son's recommendation. [ 3 , 4 ]
- Im talked about K-pop's global success, including BTS, and about the Grammy boycott. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Still unclear
- How long the son was ill. Only Newsis (doc 4) says he fought the illness for seven years; the other documents do not give a duration.
- The details of the Grammy boycott. Only Dong-A Ilbo says that major agencies including BTS refused to submit entries to the Grammy Awards; the other documents mention a boycott without detail.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Newsis publishes a preview of the 21 October episode. [ 1 ]
- Chosun Ilbo publishes a preview, written by Sports Chosun's Cho Min-jung. [ 2 ]
- Episode 365 of You Quiz on the Block is due to air on tvN on 21 October. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Dong-A Ilbo publishes an account of the broadcast on 22 October. [ 3 ]
- Newsis publishes a report on Im's remarks on 22 October. [ 4 ]