The 3rd Kim Kwang-seok Song Award to be Held Next January at 'Yet Hakjeon' Arko Kkumbat Theater

On January 6, 2025, at the Dreambat Theater Reborn from Hakjeon

The 'Kim Kwang-seok Song Award Contest' will be held at Arko Kkumbat Theater, formerly known as the Hakjeon Blue Small Theater.

2025 Kim Kwang-seok Singing Contest Poster
Photo by Kim Kwang-seok Memorial Project Association

The Kim Kwang-seok Memorial Project Association (Chairman Kang Seung-won) announced on the 23rd that the '3rd Kim Kwang-seok Song Award Contest' will be held on January 6 next year, the 29th anniversary of Kim Kwang-seok's passing, at Arko Kkumbat Theater in Daehangno, Seoul.

The Kim Kwang-seok Memorial Project Association was formed around 40 participating teams from the Kim Kwang-seok 49th Memorial Concert held at Yonsei University auditorium in February 1996.

Since then, they have honored the legacy of the singer Kim Kwang-seok and worked to discover and nurture emerging musicians through memorial concerts such as 'Meeting Again' in 1999, 'Singing Kim Kwang-seok Again' in 2008 (Hakjeon Blue Small Theater), and the 'Kim Kwang-seok Singing Contest' held since 2012.

The 'Kim Kwang-seok Singing' event began as a gathering where fans who loved Kim Kwang-seok's music, regardless of professional or amateur status, could remember him through song. Last year, it was reorganized into a systematic contest. Both the 1st and 2nd contests were held at the former Hakjeon Blue Small Theater.

Eligibility is open to anyone aged 13 and older, regardless of gender or age, and applicants can participate individually or as a team. All participants are required to sing one unpublished original song. On the final stage, contestants will perform one Kim Kwang-seok song and one unpublished original song.

Arko Kkumbat Theater is the reborn venue of the Hakjeon Blue Small Theater, which was led by Korean folk legend Kim Min-ki (1951?2024) and closed on March 15. The Korea Arts Council supports the space to continue the significance of the Hakjeon Small Theater as a place for children, youth, and emerging musicians, as well as to host the contest.

The Hakjeon Blue Small Theater is where Kim Kwang-seok held live concerts annually from 1991 to 1995, performing over 1,000 times. In 2008, a statue commemorating Kim Kwang-seok was erected in the yard of the Hakjeon Blue Small Theater and has been preserved even after the theater's closure.

The judges for this contest include Kang Seung-won, composer and singer of 'Around Thirty,' who succeeded Kim Min-ki as chairman, along with Jung Won-young, Park Ki-young (from Dongmulwon), Kwon Jin-won, Kim Hyung-seok, and Lee Juck. The grand prize, the 'Kim Kwang-seok Award,' comes with a 2 million KRW creative support fund, a Martin guitar, and a trophy.

Detailed application methods can be found on the Kim Kwang-seok Song Award Contest Instagram. Audience applications are also open to the general public and will begin on December 27.