July 2023

Global Korea

Bangkok, Thailand

KCC in Thailand’s K-pop Audition Attracts 2,500 Applicants

A K-pop audition in Bangkok, Thailand, has attracted 2,500 applicants.

The Korean Cultural Center (KCC) in the Thai capital on June 1 said it received around 2,500 applications for the May 26 audition held by the Korean entertainment agency Ador at the KCC building in downtown Bangkok.

Talented youth from all over the country including the cities of Chiang Mai in the north, Khon Kaen in the northeast and Songkhla in the south waited in long lines snaking around the building.

Since February, the KCC has jointly hosted auditions with agencies like Kakao Entertainment, Source Music and More Vision to offer Thai youth a chance at stardom.

That month, 770 applied at a KCC audition in Bangkok and 500 at one in Buriram province. Combined with those who showed up for the latest audition, 3,800 Thai youths this year have applied to audition.

KCC in Bangkok Director Cho Jae Il said, “Through this opportunity, I expect talented Thai teens to debut as K-pop singers and lead the soft power of both countries.”

Ottawa, Canada

Cultural K-Fest in Ottawa, Canada, Attracts 15,000 Visitors

The Korean cultural event K-Fest in the Canadian capital of Ottawa on June 10 celebrated the 60th anniversary of relations between the two countries.
The Korean Cultural Centre (KCC) in Ottawa on June 12 said it jointly hosted the event two days earlier with the Korean Embassy at Lansdowne Park, with approximately 15,000 people of all ages and races attending.

The highlights of this year’s “K-Fest“ event were the special performances of the “K-pop Cover Dance Festival in Canada,“ which took place on the same evening. The RPM dance crew, who emerged as the winners in the competition featuring a total of 13 cover dance teams, earned the qualification to represent Canada in the upcoming “2023 K-pop Cover Dance Festival World Final“ scheduled to be held in Seoul in September.

This year’s event was the largest of its kind since the KCC’s launch. To promote the diverse features of Korean culture, the Institute of Traditional Korean Food (ITKF), Korea Tourism Organization and the ethnic Korean community in Ottawa set up many booths.

Visitors sang K-pop songs in Korean, wore Hanbok (traditional clothing) and showed high interest in traditional Korean food, the center said.