K-pop stars light up Jakarta

South Korean pop star fans gathered at Soekarno Hatta International Airport in Tangerang and Bung Karno Stadium in Central Jakarta on Friday afternoon to get a glimpse of their idols.

K-pop sensations Super Junior, 2PM, SHINee, Beast, Infinite, Teen Top, Sistar and Eru arrived on Friday to perform at Music Bank in Jakarta on Saturday.

Indonesian singer Afgan and boy band S4 also performed at the event, aired live by KBS World in 73 countries.

Event promoter Asia Top Entertainment claimed tickets had sold out, and high-ranking government officials and their families also attended the show.

Saturday’s gig was part of the 2013 Korea-Indonesia Friendship Year, marking 40 years of diplomatic relationships between the two countries.

The celebration officially started on Friday with the ASEAN-Korean Festival, which was held at Balai Kartini multifunction hall in South Jakarta.

Organised by the South Korean Embassy and ASEAN-Korean Center, the festival presented chamber music, popular Korean TV dramas, and folk music from both cultures as well as traditional dances performed by the National Center for Korean Traditional Performing Arts in Busan.

The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy also presented artists who performed Indonesian traditional Indonesian music and dances.

Korean ambassador Kim Young-sun expressed hope that the cultural exchange between the nations would contribute to extending people-to-people diplomacy and tightening friendships and cooperation between the countries in the future.

“I expect Indonesian artists to share the same stage with visiting Korean artists,” he said during press conference recently on the string of events planned to commemorate the bilateral ties, which includes cultural performances, art exhibits, business forums, film screenings, lectures and other activities, all throughout 2013.

By Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak

(The Jakarta Post)