"Changwon K-POP World Festival" ... Changwon Firmly Establishes Itself as a Global Hallyu Hub

More than 1,700 teams from 54 countries took part in
regional preliminaries, with 140 advancing to the global preliminaries

After two rounds of expert judging, only six teams
earned the honor of performing in the final

Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, has firmly demonstrated its status as a global hub of Hallyu.

Changwon Special City said the 2026 Changwon K-POP World Festival, held on a special stage at Changwon Plaza on October 18, concluded successfully amid enthusiastic cheers from large crowds of visitors from Korea and abroad. The event once again demonstrated Changwon's standing as a global hub of Hallyu.

Changwon Special City Mayor Kang Giyoon delivers remarks at the 2026 Changwon K-POP World Festival. [Photo provided by Changwon City]

Now in its 15th year, the Changwon K-POP World Festival has established itself as a global celebration where young people from around the world who love K-pop connect through music and, alongside leading Korean K-pop stars, share Hallyu culture with audiences worldwide.

At this year's final, six teams representing Peru, France, Ethiopia, Ukraine, Tanzania, and Kyrgyzstan, comprising 19 people, showcased their impressive K-pop cover dance and singing skills. Before the final, more than 1,700 teams from 54 countries around the world took part in regional preliminaries, and 140 teams advanced to the global preliminaries. After two rounds of expert judging, only six teams earned the honor of performing in the final.

The 2026 Changwon K-POP World Festival. [Photo courtesy of Changwon City]

At the opening, which kicked off this year's festival, all six finalists took the stage together for a spectacular large-scale group performance that drew enthusiastic cheers from the audience. K-pop fans from Korea and abroad filled Changwon Plaza, waving light sticks and cheering, bringing the energy at the venue to a fever pitch.

The celebratory performances that followed featured some of Korea's top K-pop stars, including ONF, Lee Mujin, Na Tae-joo, FIFTY FIFTY, and Click-B. Their varied and energetic performances, appealing to audiences of all generations, brought the festival to its climax.

Changwon Special City Mayor Chang Ki-yoon said at the event, "I take great pride in having helped Changwon grow into a 'global K-pop mecca' loved by K-pop fans around the world, transcending cultural and language barriers. I will continue to do my utmost to establish Changwon as a global cultural city that leads K-culture."

Changwon's efforts to raise its profile as a global Hallyu city through music will greatly help promote the city worldwide, and are expected to draw many tourists to Changwon in the future.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.