Kim Seung-jin, a singer at the height of his popularity in the 1980s, turned out to be the mysterious singer behind the mask with the alias “Golden Bat” on Sunday.

On the popular MBC TV show “King of Mask Singer,” in which contestants sing while wearing elaborate costumes and concealing their identities, Kim was competing with a female vocalist with the alias “Red Dragonfly” in the first round of the show. Both of them sang “Desert Island,” originally sung by Kim Choo-ja.

Kim, however, lost to “Red Dragonfly” and as a result he had to take off his mask and revealed his identity.

Kim Seung-jin (MBC)

When Kim unveiled himself, both the audience and the judges were surprised to see the star who had long been out of the limelight.

“I wasn’t able to be active because my album releases were delayed due to many reasons,” Kim said during the show. “But from now on, I will continue my musical activities.”

In an interview with local media in 2005, Kim explained the reasons behind his long hiatus.

He continued to work on his music even though he couldn’t put out albums. In 1995, Kim asked his father for financial help amounting to 150 million won ($128,000) to produce an album, but his hope was dashed as the nation was hit hard by the Asian financial crisis, which affected the music industry as well.

“I was out of money and the album production was halted,” he said. “But I could not go back home. So I left my home immediately with only 5,000 won left in my pocket. Since then, I just wandered around for 10 years.”

Kim, 46, who made his debut in 1984, is especially known for his hit song “Suzanne.”

By Ahn Sung-mi (sahn@heraldcorp.com)