Hundred Fingers “I was moved to finish third on ‘America’s Got Talent’”

“We gathered the best magicians in Korea. We wanted to create a magic team like no other in the world.”

Magician Yoo Ho-jin met with Yonhap News at Yoo Ho-jin Company in Yeongjong-do, Incheon on the 9th and revealed the reason for forming the magic team Hundred Fingers.

He said, "I thought it was meaningless for multiple people to perform a magic trick that only one person can do. Normally, there is a main magician and other people support him, but with us, everyone takes the lead and performs together. This is the first of its kind in the world."

Hundred Fingers is a magic team consisting of 10 members: Kim Do-hyun, Kim Ji-ho, Kim Cheol-gyu, Kim Han-soo, Kim Ho-san, Yeon Mun-hyeong, Yoo Ho-jin, Yoon Je-seop, Lee Hyeon-yong, and Choi Jun-hyung (in alphabetical order).

The leader is Yoo Ho-jin, a magician who won the 2012 ‘World Championship of Magic’ (FISM) Grand Prix and the 2024 SBS ‘The Magic Star’ winner. Recently, he ranked third in season 21 of NBC's audition program 'America's Got Talent'.

In the preliminaries, they presented a stage that highlighted 'Manipulation', a sophisticated hand technique using cards. In the quarterfinals, they wore costumes reminiscent of the hanbok (traditional Korean clothes) and performed a synchronized dance magic that combined elegant fan dance and sophisticated sword dance. In the final, they captivated the audience with their spectacular hand skills using props such as canes and balls and their immersive stage production. Both the quarterfinals and final stages received a standing ovation from all the judges.

Hundred Fingers received a golden buzzer in the preliminaries and advanced to the quarterfinals, and then won two consecutive golden buzzers in the quarterfinals, advancing directly to the finals. The Golden Buzzer is given to participants by the program's judges or hosts, and is a special privilege that allows them to skip the intermediate screening process.

This is the first time that a team composed entirely of Koreans received a golden buzzer in this program.

Regarding their stage, Kim Ji-ho said, "The 10 of us move around in the form of choreography, showing a differentiated image not only in terms of magic but also visually," and added, "I am proud of the idea that we showed something that did not exist in this world."

For Yoo Ho-jin, this is his third attempt at the ‘America’s Got Talent’ series. He appeared in Season 17 in 2022 and the spin-off ‘Fantasy League’ in 2024.

He said, "I had no worries about appearing. I thought that if 10 people did it, we could do anything. I thought there was no better opportunity to make our name known than 'America's Got Talent'."

Although we were confident, the process of completing the stage where all 10 people became one was by no means easy.

Hundred Fingers began group practice as a team in October last year and worked hard for about a year. The members, who were accustomed to individual activities, stayed up all night for up to three days and underwent intense practice reminiscent of idol training in order to move as one body, '100 fingers', as the team name suggests.

The members, who were moved by the two golden buzzers and the final third place result, even shed tears on stage.

Lee Hyun-yong recalled, "I didn't expect the golden buzzer. The practice time we always had together passed by like a flash, and I was thrilled by the thought of being rewarded like this."

Yoo Ho-jin said with a smile, "I wanted the golden buzzer, but on the other hand, I was afraid. Winning was too big of a hurdle, so I practiced hard with the members to run through the journey of 'America's Got Talent' with the goal of winning the golden buzzer. I was happy to think that I had obtained the dream-like golden buzzer that only existed in our imaginations."

It is a source of great pride for them that they received the Golden Buzzer for 'Korean', a work that brings out the spirit and beauty of Korea through materials such as Hahoe masks, hansam, and amulets.

Hojin Yoo explained, “I had a clear goal of wanting to express myself on stage using Korean traditions,” and “I wanted to show through magic the beauty of the country where Korean magicians were born.”

Canadian comedian Howie Mandel, the longest-serving judge on 'America's Got Talent', said after seeing their performance in the finals that it was "the best magic show I've ever seen." He also said, "Even if you don't win here, you should have your own dedicated concert hall in Las Vegas. If no one offers that opportunity, I will invest the money myself."

This promise actually became a reality. With Mandel's full support, Hundred Fingers is planning a performance in Las Vegas, USA, with the goal of starting in March next year. Previously, it is scheduled to tour 10 U.S. cities in February next year and meet audiences.

In particular, Las Vegas is like a dream stage for magicians. Ho-jin Yoo said with emotion, "David Copperfield, who is called the greatest magician in the world, has performed in Las Vegas for over 30 years. I think we can say that the highest destination as a magician is Las Vegas."

World tour is also one of their blueprints. In the long term, the goal is to develop Hundred Fingers into an intellectual property (IP) and turn it into a performance brand where domestic and international audiences are enthusiastic about the performances of Korean magicians. To this end, along with the existing 10 members, we have also begun recruiting the second generation of members who will write a new history.

However, the members believe that compared to the status of 'K-Magic' that is recognized overseas, the attention and evaluation that magic receives in Korea is still disappointing.

Kim Do-hyun said, "Korean magicians have the best skills among magicians around the world, but Koreans are the ones who don't know about them the most. In Korea, there is also a high perception that magic is content only for children." He added, "I have a regret and hope that the public's interest will increase."

The members also emphasized that magic is a comprehensive art in which the magician must personally consider and complete everything, including music, video, stage, lighting, and tool production.

Yoo Ho-jin said, "Magic cannot be made by anyone else, and the energy that must be put into it is enormous because you have to make things that do not even exist in this world." He added, "I make tools and practice for a month or two to create a scene where people say 'Wow' for one second."

He continued, "When the public sees magic, it can be easy to say, 'They probably hid what was in their left hand in their right hand.' Of course, the public's eyes are transparent and pure, so what they say may be correct. If there's anything I want, it's that I want to let people know, even slowly, how much magicians around the world, including us, work hard to prepare for the stage."

The work 'CONNECTED' that Hundred Fingers presented in the finals contained the meaning that 'real magic happens when Hundred Fingers become one.' As these words say, the 10 members came together as one and experienced a magical moment, and gave credit to each other for the achievements they made together.

Kim Cheol-gyu said, “I have never poured so much passion into something in my life. It’s all thanks to my team members.”

Choi Jun-hyung also said, “Unlike when I was working as an individual, I learned consideration and concessions while working together as a group of 10 people,” and added, “It’s rewarding to have a great opportunity with such great people.”

Those who successfully completed the challenge of 'America's Got Talent' expressed their determination to provide unprecedented experiences and emotions on a bigger stage.

“I want to make the audience feel emotions they have never felt in their lives with a performance that has never been seen before. I hope that people will be happy through our performance. I want to be called the ‘Magic Avengers’, a collection of magic geniuses.” (Yoo Ho-jin)