From fish market to trot star: Park Ji-hyun says she trimmed 60,000 skate

Park Ji-hyun, 30, who traded a life of gutting fish for a career in trot music and has since become one of the genre's rising stars, is set to show off her seafood-prep skills on television.

Park will appear as a guest on MBC's entertainment program "Radio Star," airing Wednesday, alongside Yun Mi-ra, Gangnam and Han Da-gam.

She made her debut on TV Chosun's "Mr. Trot 2" in 2022 and has been building a reputation as a next-generation trot star — but her path to the stage was anything but conventional. For roughly six years before her debut, she helped her parents run a wholesale seafood business.

She has spoken about that background on multiple programs, saying with confidence, "When it comes to trimming skate, I won't lose to anyone. A standard 7-to-8-kilogram fish takes me four minutes flat." Unlike most fish, skate is notoriously difficult to prepare at home: it is covered in thick mucus, has tough cartilage, and gives off a pungent ammonia smell that makes it nearly impossible to handle without professional experience.

On Wednesday's broadcast, Park doubles down, saying "I can trim skate with my eyes closed" — and then proceeds to do exactly that, knife in hand, leaving the studio visibly stunned.

Just a few years after setting down her fish knife, she has become a household name, reportedly taking on more than 20 events a month as she crisscrosses the country. Her schedule stretches from Mokpo in South Jeolla Province to Samcheok in Gangwon Province, and she is juggling a nationwide concert tour and drama series OST work on top of her packed performance calendar.

Park says she still finds it surreal when multiple staff members rush toward her the moment she steps offstage to change costumes. "When I see myself in a full-length mirror, I feel like I've actually become a celebrity," she said.

Asked about her popularity in her hometown of Mokpo, Park recalled that banners bearing her face were hung all over the city during her time on the competition show. "It was just me everywhere. I thought it was my own country," she said.