A historic moment occurred on Saturday when a baritone singer achieved a groundbreaking feat by becoming the first Korean man to win the prestigious Queen Elisabeth Competition's top prize in the voice category. Kim Tae-han, aged 22 and the youngest among all the finalists, was crowned the winner of the classical music competition held in Brussels, receiving a prize of 25,000 euros (approximately $26,700).

Kim outshone his competitors, with American singer Jasmin White securing second place and Russian/German singer Julia Muzychenko-Greenhalgh taking third. During the finals, Kim delivered exceptional performances of four songs, including Richard Wagner's "O, du mein holder Abendstern" ("Song to the Evening Star") and Gustav Mahler's "Ich hab' ein glühend Messer" ("I Have a Gleaming Knife") in D minor.

Expressing his joy, Kim shared with reporters that he thoroughly enjoyed his time on stage and felt deeply immersed in the music during his preparation for the competition.

Kim is a fourth-year student at Seoul National University's College of Music, where he is receiving instruction from Na Gun-young. Prior to his remarkable victory, Kim had already garnered recognition at various other competitions, including winning the scholarship prize at the Concorso Internazionale Riccardo Zandonai Competition in 2022.

The Queen Elisabeth Competition, held annually in Brussels and named after Queen Elisabeth of Belgium, is regarded as a premier classical music competition, particularly for emerging artists. Kim's historic win as the first Korean male victor in the singing category since its introduction in 1988 marks a significant milestone.

Notably, Korean sopranos Hong Hae-ran and Hwang Su-mi previously claimed the top prize in the voice category in 2011 and 2014, respectively. In addition, musician Lim Ji-young secured first place in the violin category in 2015, while musician Choi Ha-young achieved first place in the cello category in 2022.