The sad, yet undeniable truth of K-pop is that out of the many bands that debut each year, only a handful of acts get to “make it.” Due to this, the members of these acts can feel a range of emotions, from high highs to low lows. And it is this roller coaster of emotions that is highlighted in Mnet’s newest competition show “Road to Kingdom: Ace of Ace.”

“We recently went to a theme park to shoot some content and people who didn’t recognize us said, ‘Isn’t that TWS?’ or ‘Aren’t they Tomorrow X Together?’” leader Hwanwoong of boy band Oneus told reporters during a press conference held Thursday morning in southern Seoul ahead of the program’s first episode, which is set to air at 9:30 p.m. the same day.


“It broke my heart to hear them mention the names of other famous acts,” he continued. “The bands that people mentioned are so great, but we came on this show because we too want to be loved by the public and make our names known to people. We, Oneus, had always strongly believed that we would make it big, but we chose this program because we wanted a solid chance at doing that.”

“Road to Kingdom: Ace of Ace” comes as the sixth iteration of the “Kingdom” and “Queendom” idol “survival show” franchise, which was first rolled out by CJ ENM’s music-centered cable channel Mnet in 2019. In the show, already-debuted K-pop acts compete with other bands to prove their talent and win the chance to release a new album with funding from Mnet.

Three “Queendom” and “Kingdom” programs have been made each so far. The first “Road to Kingdom” show aired in 2020 featuring seven promising boy bands including The Boyz, Golden Child and Oneus, while the previous edition, “Kingdom: Legendary War,” aired in 2021 with top-tier boy bands including the winner of “Road to Kingdom,” The Boyz, along with Stray Kids, Ateez, SF9, iKON and BTOB.

The revamped “Road to Kingdom” once again hopes to give a chance for talented boy bands to prove themselves on air and win the opportunity to become a star, not only to their fans, but also to the general public — something that has been becoming increasingly difficult with more new acts debuting in K-pop.

Boy bands The New Six, The CrewOne, 8Turn, Oneus, Younite, Cravity and Tempest will fight to earn the prize money of 100 million won ($75,154) and a chance to meet with global fans during CJ ENM’s international K-culture festival, KCON, in 2025.

“We debuted on May 17, 2022, with big dreams — but the reality was far from our plans,” said Taehoon, the leader of The New Six.

“We went through a lot of things that we hadn’t anticipated, and we realized how precious it is to have people cry for us, laugh with us and support us. Our fans have been waiting for us and supporting us through everything and we are determined to hold onto this opportunity most earnestly to return their love.”

All the bands have their own story and a point to prove to the public. Oneus is competing for the second time on the “Road to Kingdom” franchise, while two existing boy bands — ATBO and Just B — joined forces to create a new team named The CrewOne. Cravity debuted right in the middle of the pandemic, and aims to turn its future around after spending two precious years of its early career away from the public.

All bands had their reasons for entering the “Road to Kingdom,” which the producers aim to get across through the show.

“Our goal is to tell the heartfelt story of each team and its endeavors,” chief producer Choi Hyo-jin said. “Researching for this program, we found out that there are so many artists debuting every year, each fighting their own battles in their places. The previous ‘Road to Kingdom’ was able to introduce the global audience to acts like The Boyz. We hope to take ‘Road to Kingdom’ and make it a unique program that introduces the world to a variety of artists in K-pop.”

The latest “Road to Kingdom” will not be linked to another “Kingdom” program like the previous seasons, but instead the program will seek to give a chance to individual members of each group to show off their skills in ways they hadn’t been able to beforehand. Members will also be able to take part in various missions as both part of the team and alone, being referred to as the “ace” of the task.

The host of the show, Taemin of boy band SHINee, will lead the contestants with his years of experience in one of K-pop’s most successful boy bands and as a soloist.

“As someone who has experienced everything that these teams and artists have to go through, and the hours they must have put into practice, I have always wanted the chance to give these people as much advice or support as I could,” Taemin said when asked why he accepted to host the show.

“I felt that the show would allow me to cheer them on rather than judge them. I appreciated the fact the producers saw that I would be a good fit. The show has also given me a chance to find a new side of myself, too.”

“Road to Kingdom: Ace of Ace” will air every Thursday starting today at 9 p.m.

BY YOON SO-YEON [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]