October 11, 2022
SEOUL – The highlight of the spectacle-filled Korean culture event “K Culture Festival 2022” beckoned fans from in and out of the country to “The-K Concert.”
Founded in 2020 by the Ministry of Culture, Sports, Tourism and its affiliated private Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange, the festival has been held annually to promote Hallyu, or the Korean Wave.
Jointly hosted by the two, the Culture Ministry’s annual large-scale, global event commenced on Sept. 30 and ended Saturday.
Boy band Monsta X performs at “The-K Concert” at Jamsil Olympic Stadium in southern Seoul on Friday. (K-Culture Festival)
This year’s festival was held under the slogan “Into The-K,” inviting fans to arrive on a planet called “The-K” to allow them to revel in Hallyu culture.
The festival’s K-pop concert welcomed fans flocking to Seoul from in and out of the country to promote K-pop idol groups ranging from rookie bands to A-listers.
Hosting the event were Lee Teuk of Super Junior and Chuu of girl group Loona. Eleven acts took to the stage on Friday night for fans.
Up-and-coming K-pop acts like StayC, Blank2y, MCND and Cravity joined the first portion of the live session. Boy bands Monsta X, Winner and NCT Dream, rapper Zico, girl groups Ive and WJSN and American singer-songwriter Max, who’s also one of the producers behind BTS’ “Yet To Come (The Most Beautiful Moment),” graced the second half of the event.
This year’s K-Culture Festival signaled its start with the “K-Culture Festival Eve” opener on Sept. 30 from a public square inside the royal grounds of the main palace Gyeongbokgung in central Seoul.
Korean traditional and contemporary culture was also showcased through a series of classical Korean music performances and a calligraphy croquis performance by armless painter Seok Chang-woo.
The event’s third edition officially kicked off on Oct. 1 with “The-K Drama Concert,” with a show that included famous TV drama scenes and music from popular drama series, including “Itaewon Class” and “My Liberation,” as part of a musical and orchestra session.
A talk session between producers of well-known Korean drama series and singers who lent their voices to the drama series, like Paul Kim and Super Junior’s Kyu-hyun, were hosted as well.
K-pop bands like the Boyz and Oh My Girl beckoned fans at the auxiliary stadium for “The-K Stage” in the Seoul Sports Complex on Oct. 2 and 3, respectively.
Girl group Ive performs during “The-K Concert” at Jamsil Olympic Stadium in southern Seoul on Friday. (K-Culture Festival)
Four small concerts were also held as part of the Hallyu-themed event to shed light on K-pop groups, Korean indie music, hip-hop and DJs during the festival period. K-pop bands Brave Girls and CIX, hip-hop artists the Quiett and DJ Raiden and indie band 10cm greeted fans from the stage.
Visitors were also given the opportunity to experience Korean food, fashion, games, webtoons, craftwork and cosmetics at “The-K Fan Fair.”
The nine-day event ended its run Saturday with “The-K Parade,” where some 2,000 participants and art troupe members marched from Jongno to Gwanghwamun in central Seoul.