Changwon, Osaka, and Hanam Successively Host Global K-POP Festivals to Expand Hallyu Network

Global cultural exchanges through K-POP are accelerating. Large-scale K-POP festivals are being held one after another in major cities at home and abroad, including Changwon, Osaka, and Hanam, creating momentum for expanding the Hallyu network. On the 17th, the “2025 Changwon K-POP World Festival” opened at Changwon Square in Gyeongnam Province. Organized by Changwon City and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with KBS as the main organizer, this festival features participants from around the world who love K-POP competing in performance skills. Contestants who passed local preliminaries held in 48 countries and went through the first and second rounds of judging in Seoul made it to the final stage. Four teams (22 members) from the UK, Belarus, Costa Rica, and Madagascar performed their hard-earned skills amid loud cheers from the audience, while K-POP singers such as Sandara Park, Lee Young-ji, and BLACKSWAN also took the stage for celebratory performances. Changwon’s acting mayor, Jang Geum-yong, said, “We will use this festival as an opportunity to solidify Changwon’s image as a cultural city.” In Osaka, Japan, the “K-MUSIC Festival in Osaka 다양다감,” held to commemorate the 60th anniversary of normalization of relations between South Korea and Japan, took place from September 13th to 14th. It was planned to go beyond the K-POP-driven Hallyu enthusiasm by showcasing various genres of Korean popular music such as jazz, rock, hip-hop, and electronic music, and to deepen cultural exchanges through collaborations between Korean and Japanese artists. Performances included a collaboration between the Yoon Seok-chul Trio and Japanese jazz vocalist Asako Toki, a show by KARDI and Japanese rookie musician Rol3ert, and a joint performance of “Good Morning Osaka” by Korean hip-hop artists Nucksal×Kadeho and Japanese hip-hop duo Neibiss. Musicians from both countries broke down cultural barriers on the same stage to create a new form of performance. Including Glencheck’s finale performance, a total of 4 shows were held over 2 days, attracting 2,342 audience members. Hanam City will host the “2025 Global K-POP Dance Challenge in Hanam” from the 21st to the 23rd. Twenty foreign K-POP influencers, including Ukraine’s “Ten Yujin” (with 23.16 million followers) and Australia’s “Kanna Kaye Balane” (with 18.36 million followers), will be invited to compete in dance competitions. With the combined total of followers reaching 70 million, this event is regarded as a symbolic initiative for expanding the global K-POP fandom. The main “Dance Performance Concert,” held at the large theater of Hanam Culture and Arts Center at 7:30 p.m. on the 23rd, drew significant attention as all 750 seats were sold out immediately upon opening for tickets on the first day. Hosted by broadcaster Christian Burgos, it featured special performances by guests Lee Chan-jae and Ahn Kyung-ja. Hanam City mayor Lee Hyeon-jae said, “Through this event, we will prove the infinite possibilities of K-culture. We aim to become South Korea’s first ‘global performance culture hub’ that attracts people from all over the world.” Experts predict that such domestic and international K-POP festivals will serve as important opportunities to strengthen Korea’s cultural exports and expand its global fanbase.