The K-Pop Festival You Should Know About!
This event is titled the K-Pop World Festival which is supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of South Korea. The festival is held every year in Changwon, South Korea. Have we managed to pique your interest in this annual event? If so, stay tuned and keep scrolling down this Byeol Korea article to find out more about it.
About K-Pop World Festival in Chang-won
The annual event by the South Korea Ministry started by going through a few preliminary rounds. The purpose of this event is to gather Hallyu fans from all over the world to South Korea, but also to fuse various cultures. They also invite fans of K-Pop to take part in the final round of the competition in Changwon, South Korea.
This Festival is supported by various state agencies, for instance, The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST), The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS), Overseas diplomatic missions and embassies of South Korea.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said, “In an effort to make the event one where Korean culture comes together with cultures of participants, those who reinterpret or rearrange K-Pop by fusing it with their traditional music or instrument sounds, will be given extra points.”
Competition Timeline
In order to join the competition, they have to sign up and do the preliminary competition, then the finalists will go to Changwon, South Korea.
Scoring System Throughout The Years
The scoring systems have been varying throughout the years, for instance, in 2016, the eliminatory process was carried out through this scheme:
| 70% | Judges Choice (DJ Koo, Kim Jo Han, Seo In Young & Black-Eyed Pilesung) |
| 20% | Local Choice |
| 10% | Global Vote (By TvuT App) |
On the other hand, during the 2019 K-Pop World Festival, a different type of scoring system was implemented, which you can check out in the table below:
| Criteria | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Training Score | 30% |
| Judging Score | 70% |
K-Pop Artist Appearances and Performances Throughout The Years
2011
In the year 2011, there were 16 countries during the preliminary competition with more than 30,000 applicants. The finals took place on December 7th with over 10,000 fans attending in Changwon. Guest performers included Tara, Secret, Sistar, K.Will, Boyfriend, MBLAQ, Infinite, and CNBLUE.
2012
The 2012 competition was hosted in 33 countries and the finals took place on October 28th. The guest performers included TVXQ, Secret, MBLAQ, FT ISLAND, B.A.P, and Apink.
2013
In 2013, the competition was hosted in 58 cities from 43 nations, with more than 60,000 applicants. The finals took place on October 20th with over 25,000 fans in Changwon. The guest performers were Miss A, EXO, Rainbow, Infinite, and B.A.P.
2014
In 2014, the preliminary competition was hosted in 70 countries and the finals took place on October 19th in Changwon. The guest performers included EXO-K, B.A.P, Block B, IU, Sistar, and Apink.
Other Contestants
These contestants didn’t win an award, but they did perform and represented their country:
| Contestant | Country | Act | Song | Original Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vi.RUS | Russia | Vocal | Come Back Home | 2NE1 |
| Double The Fire | USA | Vocal | Ice | Akdong Musician |
| X-Junior | Laos | Performance | Overdose | EXO |
| Natalie Turjeman | Israel | Vocal | It’s Alright, It’s Love | Davichi |
| R2E | Greece | Vocal | You Don’t Love Me | SPICA |
| Helena Dimmel | Austria | Vocal | Who You? | G-Dragon |
| Prism | UK | Performance | One Shot | B.A.P |
| Filipa Cardoso | Portugal | Vocal | Lonely | 2NE1 |
| Effe(x)tion | Czech Republic | Performance | Red Light | F(x) |
| Inseong | Mexico | Vocal | Eyes, Nose, Lips | Taeyang |
| Ochirbat.B | Mongolia | Vocal | Moon of Seoul | Roy Kim |
| Level Two | Chile | Performance | Ringa Linga | Taeyang |
2015
Here are the contestants that competed in the 2015 competition:
| Contestant | Country |
|---|---|
| Pacific Starz | Nigeria |
| Epsilon Kueen | Malaysia |
| Ryan | Mexico |
| Nonlas | Vietnam |
| Rebecca Strachan | UK |
| Cencored | Finland |
| Crystal | Uruguay |
Other Contestants
These contestants didn’t win an award, but they did perform and represented their country:
| Contestant | Country | Act | Song | Original Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pepero | Australia | Performance | Mamma Mia | KARA |
| VxZ | Philippines | Performance | Joah | Jay Park |
| Xplicit | Ecuador | Performance | Don’t Tease Me | SPEED |
| Belleame | Japan | Vocal | Who you? | G-Dragon |
| Seoul Beat | Romania | Performance | Crazy | 4Minute |
| MAZE | Morocco | Performance | Shake It | Sistar |
2016
| Award | Contestant | Country | Act | Song | Original Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Prize | Pacific Starz | Nigeria | Performance | Danger | BTS |
| Excellent Performance | Epsilon Kueen | Malaysia | Performance | Voodoo Doll | VIXX |
| Excellent Performance | Ryan | Mexico | Vocal | Love Song | Rain |
| Best Performance | Nonlas | Vietnam | Performance | Ah Yeah | EXID |
| Best Performance | Rebecca Strachan | UK | Vocal | If | Taeyeon |
| Audience Favorite | Cencored | Finland | Performance | Call Me Baby | EXO |
| Audience Favorite | Crystal | Uruguay | Vocal |
Other Contestants
| Contestant | Country | Act | Song | Original Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FUXION | Malaysia | Performance | Fly | Got7 |
| LGND | Mexico | Performance | This Love | Shinhwa |
| ABsunit | Israel | Vocal | Dumb Dumber | iKON |
| KRYPTONITE | Indonesia | Performance | Stuck | Monsta X |
| Yumagichi Yada & Koroko Richama | Japan | Vocal | Person Love | Kim Bum Soo & Lena Park |
| Mongolian Namja | Nepal | Performance | Monster | EXO |
| WINK | China | Performance | I Like That | Sistar |
| Lotus | Vietnam | Performance | Rough | GFriend |
2017
Guest performances were made by BTS, MONSTA X, TWICE, Ailee, NCT 127, J Black, ASTRO.
Other Contestants
| Contestant | Country | Act | Song | Original Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antsa |  Madagascar |
Vocal | Come Back Home | 2NE1 |
| PartyHard |  Russia |
Performance | Hobgoblin | CLC (group) |
| I.V. |  USA |
Performance | Boombayah | Black Pink |
| R3DSEVEN |  Hungary |
Performance | Catch Me If You Can | Girls’ Generation |
| Oops Crew! |  Vietnam |
Performance | Don’t Wanna Cry | Seventeen |
| Fragiles Dance Crew |  Nigeria |
Performance | Hard Carry | GOT7 |
2018
| Contestant | Song & Original Artist |
|---|---|
| K-BOY | Burn It Up By WANNA`ONE |
| LEVEL UP | District 9 By Stray Kids |
| Shefa Tabassum | Gashina By Sunmi |
| HARU | Be Natural By Red Velvet ( Feat Taeyong Of NCT ) |
| East2West | Blood Sweat & Tears by BTS |
| Kevin Preisser | Red Flavor By Red Velvet |
2019
- Host: Lee Hwi Jae, DinDin & Lia (ITZY)
- Special Performances: Monsta X, TXT, ITZY, The Boyz, MOMOLAND, and Red Velvet
List Of Competitors
| No | Name (Individual/Group) | Country | Song | Original Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | The Bratz |  Spain |
Kill This Love | BLACKPINK |
| 2. | MDC |  New Zealand |
Crown | TXT |
| 3. | Limelight |  Canada |
Butterfly | LOONA |
| 4. | BtoK |  Germany |
Egoistic | MAMAMOO |
| 5. | MINT Crew | United States |
Shoot Out | Monsta X |
| 6. | LTX |  Cuba |
Hala Hala | ATEEZ |
| 7. | Josephine Hung |  Singapore |
Room Shaker | AILEE |
| 8. | OMG |  Cambodia |
Fancy + Love Shot + Fire | TWICE + EXO + BTS |
| 9. | Alyona Tyo |  Kazakhstan |
Gotta Go | Kim ChungHa |
| 10. | Pulse |  Australia |
Under Cover | A.C.E |
| 11. | Sodem Solana |  Ireland |
SOLO | Jennie |
| 12. | Al-Shamri Ali Mhannaa |  Kuwait |
Yanghwa Bridge | Zion.T |
| 13. | Omega Evo | Madagascar |
IDOL | BTS |
Winners and Contestants Throughout The Years
2011
| Region | Country | Performer | Award |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Asia | Kazakhstan |
JAM | Grand Prize – Performance |
| Southeast Asia |  Philippines |
Karla Carreon | Grand Prize – Vocals |
2012
| Region | Country | Performer | Award |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Europe |  Czech Republic |
O.M.G. | Grand Prize – Performance |
| Southeast Asia |  Indonesia |
Nadya & Marwah | Grand Prize – Vocals |
2013
| Region | Country | Performer | Award |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Asia |  Uzbekistan |
Alladin | Grand Prize – Performance |
| North America | United States |
Arnelle “Elly” Nonon | Grand Prize – Vocals |
2014
| Award | Contestant | Country | Song | Original Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Prize – Overall | GGC Crew | Ireland |
I Got A Boy | Girls’ Generation |
| Grand Prize – Performance | High Definition |  Finland |
Boy In Luv | BTS |
| Grand Prize – Vocals | Flashy |  Japan |
I Will Show You | Ailee |
2015
| Award | Contestant | Country | Act | Song | Original Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Prize | Pacific Starz | Nigeria | Performance | Danger | BTS |
| Excellent Performance | Epsilon Kueen | Malaysia | Performance | Voodoo Doll | VIXX |
| Excellent Performance | Ryan | Mexico | Vocal | Love Song | Rain |
| Best Performance | Nonlas | Vietnam | Performance | Ah Yeah | EXID |
| Best Performance | Rebecca Strachan | UK | Vocal | If | Taeyeon |
| Audience Favorite | Cencored | Finland | Performance | Call Me Baby | EXO |
| Audience Favorite | Crystal | Uruguay | Vocal | Lonely | 2NE1 |
2016
| Award | Contestant | Country | Song | Original Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Place Grand Award ( Daesang ) | Britaney Chanel | United States | U&I | AILEE |
| 2nd Place Performance | Supreme Task | Nigeria | Fire | BTS |
| 2nd Place Vocal | KARMA | Italy | Mr. Ambitious | MAMAMOO |
| 3rd Place Performance | TOXIC$ | Sweden | Cheer Up | Twice |
| 3rd Place Vocal | Priyanka Mazumdar | India | You & I | Park Bom |
| Popularity Award I | M2D | Russia | Ringa Linga | Taeyang |
| Popularity Award II | 4Divas | Hungary | 4walls | F(x) |
2017
| Award | Contestant | Country | Act | Song | Original Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Prize | TiffaniAfifa & Alphiandi | Indonesia |
Vocal | Inferiority Complex | Park Kyung & Eunha |
| Best Performance | Immortals Army |  India |
Performance | Blood, Sweat & Tears | BTS |
| Best Vocal | Akif | Singapore |
Vocal | Eyes, Nose & Lips | Taeyang |
| Excellent Performance | One Piece | Canada |
Performance | Not Today | BTS |
| Excellent Vocal | Sinem Kadioğlu |  Turkey |
Vocal | I Will Go To You Like The First Snow | Ailee |
| Audience Favourite Award | KINGSMAN |  Malaysia |
Performance | White Night | UP10TION |
| Audience Favourite Award | Ana Lucia |  Peru |
Vocal | I Will Show You | Ailee |
| Twitter Popular Choice Award | Sinem Kadioğlu | Turkey |
Vocal | I Will Go To You Like The First Snow | Ailee |
2018
| Award | Winner | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Grand Prize ( 대상 ) | K-BOY |  Thailand |
| People’s Choice Award ( 인기상 ) | Lindsay Ketlego Setkena |  South Africa |
| Category | Result | Country | Contestant | Song & Original Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best Boy Group Performance | WIN | Thailand |
K-BOY | Burn It Up By WANNA`ONE |
| Best Girl Crush Performance | WIN |  Ukraine |
LEVEL UP | District 9 By Stray Kids |
| Best Solo Performance | WIN |  Bangladesh |
Shefa Tabassum | Gashina By Sunmi |
| Best Composition Performance | WIN | United States |
HARU | Be Natural By Red Velvet ( Feat Taeyong Of NCT ) |
| Best BTS Performance | WIN | Canada |
East2West | Blood Sweat & Tears |
| Best Vocal Performance | WIN |  France |
Kevin Preisser | Red Flavor By Red Velvet |
2019
| Award | Winner | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Grand Prize ( 대상 ) | Sodem Solana | Ireland |
| Top Achievement Award | Limelight | Canada |
| Top Achievement Award | Mint Crew | United States |
| Excellence Award | Josephine Hung | Singapore |
| Excellence Award | Omega Evo | Madagascar |
| Friendship Award | Omega Evo | Madagascar |
Latest News
Just in October 2019, the K-Pop World Festival was held in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province with 60 finalists from 13 countries in the main round. This was the ninth edition of the festival.
There were 64 teams that came from 84 nations, also, during the competition they took part in inter-cultural activities besides their rehearsals. The winner of this year’s festival was from the Irish team that performed the song “Solo” originally sung by Jennie.
That’s all about the K-Pop World Festival in Changwon. Don’t forget to kindly leave a comment and share your thoughts in the section below!
