[INTERVIEW] EXO's choreographer wins 1st title after fearing his time was over

Back Koo-young won Mnet’s “Street World Fighter: Director’s War” in the final on Oct. 20, earning his first competition title after 24 years in the industry. He said the trophy felt like recognition for continuing to work through a period when he feared his career was fading. The SM Entertainment performance director has choreographed for TVXQ!, Super Junior and EXO, and will direct the opening stage of the 2026 MAMA Awards. He will also join the show’s nationwide tour, which begins Nov. 21 in Seoul.

Back led 1MILLION on “Street Man Fighter” in 2022, where the crew was eliminated just before the final.

His winning final performance was a cheer routine built around the concept of marathons, which he said resonated with his life.

Back began dancing in fifth grade in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, and decided in his second year of middle school to become a director.

The nationwide tour is scheduled to travel around the country through Dec. 19.

Back described his performance style as storytelling, aiming for an immediate “wow” followed by a slower “aha.”

Published Oct 28, 2026 8:00 am KST

Back Koo-young tops Mnet's 'Street World Fighter: Director's War' 4 years after 'Street Man Fighter' exit

Choreographer and stage director Back Koo-young poses with his "Street World Fighter: Director's War" trophy at CJ ENM Center in Mapo District, Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of Mnet

For the past few years, choreographer Back Koo-young had quietly begun to wonder whether his time was passing, watching pitches from directors far younger than him getting picked over his own.

When he was named the winner of Mnet's "Street World Fighter: Director's War" last week, his 24 years of work in the industry meant the trophy was not a sign of a triumphant comeback but as something closer to a "perfect attendance award" — a reward for refusing to stop even when he believed his star was dimming.

"There was a time when it felt like everyone in the industry was looking for me. Then I started to feel that I was fading, too," Back said during an interview with The Korea Times at CJ ENM Center in western Seoul, Tuesday.

"I think of this trophy as a reward for the effort I never let go of, even in the middle of that."

Choreographer Back Koo-young smiles as he holds up the trophy after winning Mnet's "Street World Fighter: Director's War" during the show's final on Oct. 20. Courtesy of Mnet

The title is the first competition win of a career spent shaping some of K-pop's most recognizable work, and it came four years after he fell one step short of the final on the show's predecessor, "Street Man Fighter."

He built much of his career as a performance director for SM Entertainment, choreographing for acts including TVXQ!, Super Junior and EXO. The chorus move of EXO's 2017 hit "Ko Ko Bop" set off a worldwide dance challenge years before it became a fixture of K-pop promotions, and he later shaped The Boyz's stages on Mnet's 2021 competition "Kingdom."

In 2022, he led the crew 1MILLION on "Street Man Fighter," which was the last team eliminated before the final. He watched the last round from the audience.

"It was really hard to sit there and watch the friends who made it," he recalled.

This time, he made it all the way. In the final on Oct. 20, which was broadcast live, Back beat Kasper, BabyZoo and Bada with a cheer performance built around the concept of marathons, a sport he says resonates with his own life.

His wife, who was shown crying in the audience along with him, has congratulated him once every day since.

"People say I've been at the top of the industry for 20 years, but the time I actually spent in the spotlight is not even half of my career," he said. "I have devoted three quarters of my life to dance, so receiving a trophy now means a lot."

"The tears just didn't stop," he added with a dry chuckle.

Back said he joined the show because K-pop choreography is ultimately about pleasing fans, while "Director's War" offered the biggest stage to put his own stories first.

"It felt good to show what I wanted to show, even if I got criticized for it," he said. "It quenched a thirst that never gets filled when I work in the industry."

He said he enjoyed the show too much to find any mission truly hard, though he bit his tongue badly during a fall sequence in the semifinal round — something he blamed on himself with a laugh.

Choreographer and stage director Back Koo-young tears up while delivering his acceptance speech during the final of Mnet's "Street World Fighter: Director's War" on Oct. 20. Courtesy of Mnet

Back described his style as storytelling, aiming for a performance that draws an instant "wow" from the audience followed by a slower "aha."

He started dancing in fifth grade in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, and decided in his second year of middle school to become a director. It took three years to win over a family so opposed that his mother once threatened to leave home. Still, he prefers to be called a dancer.

He credits his steady growth to practice and a mindset borrowed from figure skater Kim Yuna, whose interviews he followed closely.

"I knew from a young age that I had talent," he said. "But I watched many people senior to me with talent fade because they didn't keep polishing it."

Choreographer Back Koo-young speaks during an interview at CJ ENM Center in Mapo District, Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of Mnet

Back considers this marathon finished, but notes that runners rarely race only once. The next goal is already set, as his prize includes directing the opening stage of the 2026 MAMA Awards.

"I have nothing yet. It's becoming a real problem," he admitted, adding that building a story takes him far longer than the choreography itself.

Before that, he will join the show's nationwide tour, which will kick off Nov. 21 in Seoul and travel around the country through Dec. 19.

Asked whether he would take on another competition show, he simply said no, patting the trophy beside him.

"Rather than big dreams like staging the Olympic ceremonies, I'd rather fulfill whatever goal is right in front of me," he said. "If I keep doing that well, I believe I'll become a good director, and more stages will come naturally."

10月20日，朴具荣在Mnet电视台的“街头世界格斗：导演之战”总决赛中夺冠，这是他入行24年来首次获得比赛冠军。他表示，这座奖杯是对他坚持不懈的认可，尤其是在他担心事业会走下坡路的那段时间。这位SM娱乐公司的表演导演曾为东方神起、Super Junior和EXO等组合编舞，并将执导2026年MAMA颁奖典礼的开场舞台。他还将参与MAMA颁奖典礼的全国巡演，巡演将于11月21日在首尔拉开帷幕。

Back 带领 1MILLION 参加了 2022 年的“街头霸王”比赛，但该团队在决赛前被淘汰。

他最终的获奖表演是一套以马拉松为主题的啦啦操，他说这与他的生活产生了共鸣。

Back小学五年级时在庆尚南道昌原市开始学习舞蹈，初中二年级时决定成为一名导演。

此次全国巡回演出计划持续到12月19日。

Back 将他的表演风格描述为讲故事，旨在立即引起“哇”的惊叹，然后是缓慢的“啊哈”。

发布于2026年10月28日上午8:00（韩国标准时间）

Back Koo-young在离开《街头霸王》四年后，再次夺得Mnet《街头世界格斗：导演之战》冠军。

周二，编舞兼舞台导演白九荣在首尔麻浦区CJ ENM中心手捧“街头霸王：导演之战”奖杯合影。图片由Mnet提供。

过去几年里，编舞家白九英（Back Koo-young）一直在默默地思考自己的时代是否正在过去，眼看着比他年轻得多的导演的方案被选中，而自己的方案却被淘汰。

上周，当他被宣布为 Mnet 的“街头世界格斗家：导演之战”的冠军时，他在业界 24 年的奋斗历程意味着这座奖杯并非凯旋回归的标志，而更像是“全勤奖”——奖励他即使在认为自己的星光黯淡时也拒绝停止前进。

“曾经有一段时间，感觉整个行业的人都在寻找我。但后来，我也开始感觉自己正在逐渐被人遗忘，”周二，在首尔西部的CJ ENM中心接受《韩国时报》采访时，Back说道。

“我认为这座奖杯是对我从未放弃努力的奖励，即使在最艰难的时刻也是如此。”

10月20日，在Mnet电视台《街头霸王：导演之战》总决赛中，编舞师白具英（Back Koo-young）赢得冠军后，高举奖杯，笑容满面。（图片由Mnet提供）

这是他职业生涯中赢得的第一个比赛冠军，他曾参与制作了一些 K-pop 中最具代表性的作品。而四年前，他在该节目的前身“街头斗士”中与决赛仅一步之遥。

他职业生涯的大部分时间都在SM娱乐公司担任表演总监，曾为东方神起、Super Junior和EXO等艺人编舞。EXO 2017年的热门歌曲《Ko Ko Bop》的副歌部分动作在成为K-pop宣传活动的标志性动作之前，就已在全球范围内掀起了一股舞蹈挑战热潮。之后，他还参与了Mnet 2021年选秀节目《Kingdom》中The Boyz的舞台设计。

2022年，他带领1MILLION战队参加了《街头霸王》比赛，该队是决赛前最后一个被淘汰的队伍。他作为观众观看了最后一轮比赛。

“坐在那里看着朋友们成功，真的很难受，”他回忆道。

这一次，他一路过关斩将，最终夺冠。在10月20日的决赛中（比赛进行了现场直播），巴克凭借一段以马拉松为主题的啦啦队表演击败了卡斯珀、BabyZoo和巴达。巴克表示，马拉松这项运动与他自己的生活息息相关。

他的妻子当时和他一起坐在观众席上，两人都哭了起来。从那以后，她每天都向他表示祝贺。

“人们说我在这个行业已经巅峰20年了，但我真正处于聚光灯下的时间甚至不到我职业生涯的一半，”他说。“我把四分之三的人生都奉献给了舞蹈，所以现在获得奖杯意义非凡。”

“眼泪根本止不住，”他干笑着补充道。

Back表示，他参加这个节目是因为K-pop舞蹈​​编排最终是为了取悦粉丝，而《导演之战》则提供了一个最大的舞台，让他可以把自己的故事放在首位。

“能够展现我想展现的东西，即使因此受到批评，感觉也很好，”他说。“这满足了我在这个行业工作时永远无法满足的渴望。”

他说他太喜欢这个节目了，所以觉得任何任务都不算难，尽管在半决赛的一个摔倒场景中他严重咬到了舌头——他笑着把这归咎于自己。

10月20日，在Mnet综艺节目《街头霸王：导演之战》总决赛上，编舞兼舞台导演白九荣发表获奖感言时热泪盈眶。图片由Mnet提供。

Back 将自己的风格描述为讲故事，旨在让观众在表演时立刻发出“哇”的惊叹，然后慢慢地发出“啊哈”的感叹。

他小学五年级时在庆尚南道昌原市开始学习舞蹈，初中二年级时立志成为一名导演。为了说服极力反对的家人，他花了三年时间，他的母亲甚至一度威胁要离家出走。尽管如此，他仍然更喜欢被称为舞者。

他将自己的稳步进步归功于练习和从花样滑冰运动员金妍儿那里借鉴来的心态，他一直密切关注着金妍儿的采访。

“我从小就知道自己有天赋，”他说。“但我眼睁睁地看着许多比我年长、同样有天赋的人因为没有坚持不懈地磨练技艺而逐渐销声匿迹。”

周二，编舞家白具英在首尔麻浦区CJ ENM中心接受采访。图片由Mnet提供。

巴克认为这场马拉松已经结束，但他指出，跑者很少只跑一次。他的下一个目标已经确定，因为他的奖励之一是执导2026年MAMA颁奖典礼的开幕式。

“我还没有灵感。这正在成为一个真正的问题，”他承认道，并补充说，构思一个故事比编舞本身花费的时间要长得多。

在此之前，他将参加该节目的全国巡演，巡演将于 11 月 21 日在首尔拉开帷幕，并持续到 12 月 19 日。

当被问及是否会参加另一档竞技类节目时，他只是简单地回答“不会”，并拍了拍身旁的奖杯。

“比起执导奥运会开幕式之类的远大梦想，我更愿意专注于眼前的目标，”他说。“如果我能继续做好眼前的事，我相信我会成为一名优秀的导演，更多的舞台机会也会水到渠成。”