K-Pop Concert at Jamsil Indoor Gymnasium on the Afternoon of the 10th
Vice Minister Jang Miran at the Scene: "Hope It Becomes an Unforgettable Life Performance During Korean Travel"
"Amid the worldwide enthusiasm for K-pop, this event was held to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Korean Wave and to attract foreign tourists and offer them special memories in Korea, taking advantage of the '2023~2024 Visit Korea Year'"
On the afternoon of the 10th, the group Fantasy Boys is delivering an impressive performance at the 2023 K-Link Festival held at Jamsil Indoor Gymnasium in Songpa-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]
On the 10th, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization held the 'K-Link Festival' to celebrate the 2023~2024 Visit Korea Year. Before the festival, Jang Mi-ran, the 2nd Vice Minister of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, attended a promotional event for the '2024 Gangwon Winter Youth Olympic Games' to be held from the 19th of next month and made this announcement.
The Ministry explained that this festival was planned to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Korean Wave and to connect the world and Korea through K-culture.
At 6 p.m. that day, at the Jamsil Indoor Gymnasium in Seoul, nine K-pop groups including BoA, SHINee, aespa, Zerobaseone, Treasure, and Paul Kim took the stage to present a variety of performances. The venue was filled with cheers from 7,000 spectators gathered from both domestic and international locations.
BoA, representing the performers, said, "I hope that foreigners visiting Korea during the '2023~2024 Visit Korea Year' truly feel the beauty of K-culture and Korea," adding, "I will continue to strive to keep interest in K-culture alive."
The Korea Tourism Organization estimated that 3,000 foreign tourists and 4,000 domestic visitors participated in the event. Among the foreign tourists, about 1,700 were from Japan, approximately 900 from the Chinese-speaking regions including China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, and around 400 from Southeast Asia including Thailand and Indonesia.
Jang Mi-ran, the 2nd Vice Minister of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, is taking a commemorative photo with ZeroBaseOne at the 2023 K-Link Festival held on the afternoon of the 10th at Jamsil Indoor Gymnasium in Songpa-gu, Seoul. [Photo by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism] [Image source=Yonhap News]
Along with BoA, idol groups SHINee and aespa from SM Entertainment took the stage to deliver special performances. In total, nine groups including Zerobaseone, Treasure, Paul Kim, Fantasy Boys, Els Up, and Pow wow performed, showcasing dazzling performances to Hallyu fans from around the world visiting Korea.
The performances featured background videos displaying various images symbolizing Korea, such as Namsan Tower, Seoul Grand Park, Mokpo Modern History Museum, as well as traditional Korean motifs like patchwork (jogakbo), Hangul, and traditional patterns, captivating the audience’s attention.
Additionally, as a pre-event to promote and encourage participation in the '2024 Gangwon Winter Youth Olympic Games,' the 'Gangwon2024 Traveling Busking' program and VR video experiences were held in the outdoor plaza.
Vice Minister Jang, who visited the site, said, "It is very meaningful that this event created a space for young people from Korea, Japan, China, and other countries to unite and interact," adding, "I hope this festival becomes an unforgettable 'life performance' for foreign tourists during their travels in Korea."
The ‘K-Link Festival’ was broadcast live on the SBS Medianet YouTube channel ‘The K-POP’ on the 10th. It is also scheduled to be aired on the ‘SBS FiL’ and ‘SBS M’ channels on the 17th.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
