The next Asian pop sensation could be Northwestern U student John Park.

The senior is taking this quarter off from NU classes to compete in the Korean version of “American Idol,” called “Superstar K”, in Seoul.

Park is one of two competitors remaining in the competition. The winner will be announced Friday morning.

“It’s one of the most popular TV shows in Korea,” said Christian Lee, a 2005 Emory University graduate who has been following Park’s success because he has friends at NU who know Park. “It’s like a Korean MTV.”

Park competed in the ninth season of American Idol, reaching the top 24.

Lee said Park has been singing mostly Korean songs in an effort to reach out to the Korean audience, but he also sang a Michael Jackson song, which helped launch him to the top of the competition.

The winner will receive a record contract and about $200,000, in addition to the publicity benefits of winning the competition.

“The Korean pop culture is very popular in Asia right now,” Lee said. “So if he wins, it’s likely that he will be popular in other Asian countries too.”

Park’s competitor, Heo Gak, had no vocal training before the show and comes from a difficult family background.

“(Heo) has a very good talent and pitch for popular songs,” Lee said. “John has a very unique voice and a cappella training, so it’s just totally different.”

The public’s vote accounts for 70 percent of the final decision on who will win the competition, with the other 30 percent coming from the judges.

Lee said both competitors are popular, and the decision could go either way. Park was leading last week on the online voting, but Heo is leading now.

“Most of the Korean girls support John because he’s good-looking and he has a nice voice,” Lee said.

Park’s presence in the competition is also promoting NU in Korea, Lee said.

“He definitely has a good chance to win,” he said. “He is really, really popular.”