[1] On July 11, 2013, it was confirmed that Lee Seung-chul and Yoon Jong-shin would be returning to join the judges member panel, the latter having been missing from the previous season.
This season also saw the addition of Lee Ha-neul of DJ DOC as a judge following the departure of Yoon Mi-rae.
Additionally, new ways were devised for those unable to attend including as via UGC, KakaoTalk, Karaoke rooms or via secret nomination from family or friends.
Confirmed special judges that will be featured in the preliminaries will include: Jung Jae-hyung, 2AM member Jo Kwon, Joo Hyun-mi, Brown Eyed Girls' Gain, solo singer Ivy, Clazziquai's Alex and Son Dam-bi.
The newest addition to the Superstar K5 format was the BlackWeek round, where contestants participated in a rival collaboration mission.
Neo is also a competitive player in the Super Street Fighter IV circuit, known by the pseudonym WeirdoNeo.
He finished in 5th place for East Coast Throwdown 5 in Super Street Fighter 4 Arcade Edition v2012 in early 2013, using character Juri.
A solo singer; he was also once part of a R&B group called EbonyHill (에보니힐) where he served as the main vocalist.