Coinciding with the Incheon Asian Games, the inaugural K-pop Expo in Asia will kick off a two-week live music expose to highlight Korean music.
With international eyes on Incheon during the two-week sports competition, which starts Friday, Incheon will also host Asia’s biggest K-pop showcase, hoping to attract participants and visitors of the games.
“The K-pop Expo is the largest pop expo in Asia, and aims to create a huge festival for the 4.5 billion Asians in the world,” said concert director Shim Yong-tae.
“Through this K-pop Expo, we believe that people will be moved by the excellence of K-pop.”
The concerts will be held 6 km from the Asian Games Sports Complex at the North Incheon Bokhap-danji. Starting Friday and running every day from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., the expo will highlight Korean music on four stages.
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2PM. (JYP Entertainment) |
On the main stage, the upcoming expo will include live performances from some of the industry’s biggest names, including boy bands 2PM, Boyfriend, Block B, B2B, MBLAQ, BTS, Teen Top, ZE:A, 2AM and GOT7, and girl groups Sistar, Girl’s Day, Rainbow, and Kara and EXID.
The other three stages will feature artists from various genres, including hip-hop, EDM, trot, ballad and traditional Korean music, as well as a special Asian star audition segment. On Fridays and Saturdays, the expo will hold a club night where visitors can party and listen to live DJs until 5 a.m.
Along with a wide range of live performances, the two-week event will also include an exhibition showcasing the past 100 years of Korean music, and a cultural exhibition on the 43 countries participating in this year’s Asian Games.
“I am confident that the efforts to maintain the continued worldwide growth and popularity of K-pop and Korean culture will be seen on the stages at the North Incheon Bokhap-danji,” said event manager Yang Jang-suk.
“I especially believe that together with the Asian Games, the proximity to the sports complex, and the many international visitors that have come here will be a big help to our event.”
The K-pop Expo in Asia will run until Oct. 5. Tickets can be purchased online from k-popexpo.com, with prices ranging from 12,000 won to 55,000 won.
By Julie Jackson (
juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)
