A look back on why Lim Young Woong does not release physical albums:
Before the release of his 2nd full album IM HERO 2, Lim Young Woong announced that his album would be digital only, a first in an industry so focused on heavy sales and charting. With multiple copies of the same album being the norm in the k-industry, this decision had people talking.
Lim Young Woong sees huge importance in environmental protection, having previously changed the layout of a usual stadium tour by having the entire pitch turned into a raised stage to protect the grass from the usual footfall of a stadium tour, concerns of the environment was one factor into this decision. When people buy 10, 15, 20+ copies of the same album to inflate the charts, enter raffles for fansigns or fancalls, unnecessary plastic is now sitting in the environment.
On top of this, he stated pressure on fans. Fans often feel they NEED to buy multiple copies of the same album because chart positions and music show wins is seen as everything in the industry. Fans feel this need to have their artist at the top and will spend whatever is necessary to make this happen.
Lim Young Woong did not want this pressure. So, for his second full album he released a photo book with concept photos, lyrics and album credits but no disc and no QR code, voiding IM HERO 2 from chart eligibility and was a nice piece of memorabilia available for a limited period of time.
His new 10th anniversary special digital album IM HERO 10 is due for release on 8th September 2026, confirming his decision to keep his albums online only. A very respectable decision in an industry so hungry for charts, awards and breaking records.