[MAGAZINE KAVE=Reporter Seo In-hye] Contestants who have never set foot on stage and idols who have already debuted start from the same line. One left a job to become a singer; another has put behind them a life spent as a taekwondo athlete. Yet another has already met audiences under the name of a girl group.
They are all being judged again.
This is the story of ‘MYSTIC: Sculpting Tomorrow’s Star’, a global music audition show ENA launches on 17 November.
There are 21 contestants selected from South Korea and China. Nicole of KARA, Sandara Park of 2NE1 and Xiaoting of Kep1er will host, while eight ‘Star Makers’ will take part: Lee Young-hyun, Jo Kwon, Hui, Kang Seung-yoon, Solji, Yuju, Zhang Liyin and Sunny Lucas.
At first glance, the star-studded cast looks like the familiar formula for a K-pop audition show. But important information about the programme has yet to be revealed.
Who among the 21 is currently a member of a girl group? Can overseas fans vote too? Will the finalists debut in a new group? And where can fans around the world watch the show?
These four questions are more than simple curiosities; they will also help determine whether ‘MYSTIC’ can grow into a truly global audition show.
Active idols will compete again… Do all 21 start from the same line?
The most striking detail in ENA’s description of the contestants is the participation of active girl-group members.
According to the production team, the contestants were selected from thousands of applicants. Their backgrounds vary widely, from active girl-group members to office workers and a former taekwondo athlete. Some are taking on the stage after overcoming experiences such as stage fright, insecurities about their appearance and bullying.
However, as of 28 October, the identities of the active girl-group members could not be confirmed from ENA’s official programme description or the materials released that day. The full list of 21 contestants and their individual backgrounds have not been made public either.
It is therefore too early to name any particular girl-group member as a contestant.
The more important question is how contestants with such different backgrounds will be judged.
Idols who have already debuted may have professional stage experience and a fanbase. Contestants without professional experience, meanwhile, may have growth potential and a distinctive musical identity to their advantage.
If current ability is the measure, more experienced contestants may have an advantage. The results could be different if the emphasis is on how much contestants improve in a short time.
‘MYSTIC’ has yet to publish detailed judging criteria explaining how it will account for these differences.
It is known that the first blind-test recording took place recently, but the production team has not clearly explained which information about the contestants’ identities and backgrounds was concealed during judging.
Ultimately, the first thing to watch is not so much the identity of a famous contestant as how convincingly the show sets out judging criteria for 21 people with different levels of experience.
Xiaoting takes the host’s seat… from contestant to guide for those who follow
The three hosts of ‘MYSTIC’ connect different generations of K-pop and overseas markets.
As a member of KARA, Nicole experienced K-pop’s international expansion during the second generation. Through her work with 2NE1, Sandara Park helped build a fanbase in South Korea, South-east Asia and elsewhere around the world.
Xiaoting is a symbolic figure for a different reason.
In 2021, she debuted as a member of Kep1er through ‘Girls Planet 999’, where contestants from South Korea, China and Japan competed. She has first-hand experience of contestants from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds competing on the same programme.
Now Xiaoting has returned not as a contestant, but as a host.
Once judged as she fought for her own place, she now introduces the performances of a new generation of hopefuls.
Her background also matters to the Chinese contestants: an artist from China who has worked within South Korea’s idol system will be at the heart of the programme.
But having a famous global star as a host does not, on its own, give a programme international appeal.
The show also needs language support to help overseas fans understand the contestants, accessible performance videos, fair judging procedures and ways for fans to take part.
Recruiting a global cast and turning global viewers into active participants are two different challenges.
A precedent of 2.17 million global votes… Could ‘MYSTIC’ do the same?
ENA has a precedent for engaging overseas fans.
That was ‘The Scout: Stars Reborn’, a growth-focused music project broadcast last June.
According to information released by ENA on 16 June, ‘The Scout’ recorded 2,172,693 global votes in total.
This does not mean that 2.17 million unique people voted. It is the cumulative number of votes, and some people may have voted more than once.
Even so, it showed that overseas fans could take an active part in a South Korean music programme.
In particular, contestant Lee San, whose father is South Korean and mother is from Peru, was said to have attracted attention from Latin American fans. His story showed how nationality, family background and personal experience can draw engagement from overseas fan communities.
There is also a production link between the two programmes.
According to ENA’s official website, executive producer Choi Jong-hoon is credited on both ‘The Scout’ and ‘MYSTIC’.
Against this backdrop, attention will turn to how ‘MYSTIC’ uses the experience of global participation built up through previous programmes.
But it cannot be assumed that the success of the previous show will translate directly into the way the new programme is run.
As of 28 October, no official information is available on ‘MYSTIC’s’ global voting platform, participating countries, voting limits or the weighting of votes in the final score.
It has yet to be revealed whether overseas fans will simply watch or be able to influence the final result.
That raises a question.
If the aim is to build an overseas fanbase, what say will those fans have?
In a K-pop audition show, voting is not merely an added feature. It is also part of the process through which contestants introduce themselves to viewers and build a fanbase.
If overseas voting is introduced, access for voters in different countries and the fairness of the process could become new points of debate. If the show instead relies on expert judging without votes, it will need to explain clearly why and how.
Whichever approach it takes, transparency around the rules for participation will be essential.
What does ‘tomorrow’s star’ get? Debut terms remain unconfirmed
‘MYSTIC’ describes itself as a survival show that creates all-round stars.
But the phrase ‘creates stars’ does not reveal what the programme’s final outcome will be.
In previous idol auditions, winners or finalists have often debuted in project groups. But ‘MYSTIC’s’ official description has yet to specify the number of finalists or the form their debut will take.
It has not been confirmed whether the finalists will form a new group, work as solo singers or sign exclusive contracts with an agency.
There is also little official information about debut opportunities, contract length, music-production support or plans for overseas activities.
This matters to contestants and viewers alike.
No matter how spectacular the audition process, the programme’s meaning depends on what opportunities are offered at the end.
For active idols who have already debuted, the show could mark a new musical turning point. For contestants without professional experience, it could offer their first chance to work professionally in music.
But for these possibilities to lead to real careers, there must be a plan for what happens after the performances.
The more important question is not ‘Who wins?’ but ‘What changes after they win?’
Once ‘MYSTIC’ reveals its final rewards and plans for contestants’ activities, the programme’s place in the industry should become clearer.
Can eight judges look beyond ability to see potential for growth?
‘MYSTIC’s’ judging panel brings together a range of musical expertise.
Lee Young-hyun of Big Mama and Solji of EXID are equipped to assess vocal ability. Jo Kwon of 2AM and Yuju, formerly of GFRIEND, bring years of stage experience.
Hui of PENTAGON and Kang Seung-yoon of WINNER have experience in songwriting, composition and music production. Zhang Liyin and Sunny Lucas have also joined the panel.
Their participation suggests the production team intends to assess not only contestants’ singing, but also their stage presence, musical individuality and potential to grow.
However, it has yet to be confirmed what judging powers each panel member will have, or how expert assessments and fan votes will be weighted.
The programme’s promotional emphasis on contestants’ personal struggles also calls for a careful approach.
Overcoming stage fright can add depth to a contestant’s story. But personal hardship should not become a substitute for assessing musical ability.
A genuine growth-focused audition should show what has changed in a contestant’s performance, rather than how dramatic their past pain was.
That is how the programme can make a convincing case for its aim of discovering ‘unfinished gems’.
Premieres on 17 November… Where can viewers overseas watch a global programme?
According to ENA’s official website, ‘MYSTIC: Sculpting Tomorrow’s Star’ premieres on Tuesday 17 November 2026 at 11.20pm.
ENA is the domestic broadcaster.
However, as of 28 October, the official announcements checked did not specify overseas streaming platforms or availability by country.
There is also no confirmed schedule for subtitles in foreign languages such as English and Chinese.
For a programme billing itself as a global audition, this is no small matter.
If overseas fans cannot watch official videos promptly, it will be difficult for them to understand the contestants’ abilities and development in full.
Some contestants may attract attention through short social-media clips alone. But to convey the context of the competition, viewers need access to complete performances, the judging process and the contestants’ progress.
A video-release schedule that takes time differences into account, subtitles in multiple languages and a strategy for distributing official clips could all be key to retaining an overseas fanbase.
If the broadcaster and production team are targeting the global market, they must demonstrate that ambition not only through the cast’s nationalities but also through how the content is distributed.
K-pop’s next test of globalisation… the way stars are discovered must change too
K-pop has already built a global music market. But gaining a worldwide fanbase and building an audition system that fanbase can trust are not the same thing.
‘MYSTIC’ starts with 21 contestants from South Korea and China, three K-pop stars from different generations and eight judges.
The mix of active idols and contestants without professional experience is also intriguing.
But the programme’s global competitiveness will ultimately be decided elsewhere.
It comes down to how transparently the show explains who is competing, how they will be judged, how overseas fans can take part and what future awaits the finalists.
ENA’s previous show ‘The Scout’ demonstrated the potential for overseas fan participation, recording 2.17 million global votes in total. ‘MYSTIC’ now has the task of turning that experience into the way the programme is run and its artists are developed.
A global audition is not simply about putting contestants from different countries on the same stage. It is about enabling audiences who speak different languages to understand the same rules, assess the same performances and trust the outcome.
‘MYSTIC’ has declared its intention to find the next generation of global stars. What is needed now is an answer to how those stars will be chosen and what stage they will be brought to.