The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (Minister YU In Chon, MCST), in cooperation with the Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange (President PARK Chang Sik, KOFICE), will hold the 2024 Asia Song Festival x Culture Bridge Festa at Yeouido Hangang Park on October 26 and 27. Celebrating the 20^th anniversary of the Asia Song Festival (ASF), a variety of events will be held in addition to the performances by Asian singers, including a special program revisiting the history of K-pop and interactive exhibitions.

Celebrating the 20^th anniversary, the Asia Song Festival will feature performances by popular Asian singers, revisiting of the history of K-pop with a cover dance and a special Korea-Vietnam performance

The ASF is Asia’s leading annual music festival. Started in 2004, it is intended to encourage exchange and promote mutual understanding and friendship among Asian countries. This year’s ASF will be held on the Mulbit Stage in Yeouido Hangang Park at 6 p.m. on October 26. Ten groups from Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines and a special guest from Jamaica will participate in the festival. The 20^th anniversary event has already garnered considerable interest: selling out within five minutes of the pre-sale opening thanks to star-studded lineup and special programs.

Many of the leading K-pop groups and singers, including fromis_9, QWER, 8TURN, and Balming Tiger, will perform, bringing joy and excitement to people of all ages and across genres. Popular stars from across Asia will gather together on the Mulbit Stage, notably Afgan from Indonesia, who has seen more than 100 million streams on Spotify, one of the world’s largest music streaming platforms; Tomioka Ai, a Japanese singer and songwriter, who already has many fans in Korea; Jah-Lil, a Jamaican reggae musician, considered a successor to Bob Marley; WIM, a member of top Thai band HYBS; and Tim Dionela, a popular Filipino singer. What is more, the crowd will be treated to the first-ever joint performance by Korea’s 8TURN and Vietnamese singer My Anh.

The ASF will hold various events revisiting the 20-year history of K-pop, including a cover dance performance to the songs by 12 singers and groups, starting from the first generation K-pop star, BoA, one of the participants in the first ASF, to the leading fifth-generation K-pop groups. There will also be a video reviewing the 20 years of the ASF and interactive exhibitions for visitors, including a digital guestbook, quizzes, and self-service instant photo studio called “Life Four Cuts.” The 2024 ASF will even be accessible online via the official ASF and KBS World YouTube channels.

Playing out of the Philippines’ Boracay Beach and Jamaica’s Trench Town, the birthplace of reggae, in the Hangang Park

The Culture Bridge Festa is a world cultural festival that visitors can enjoy and experience with all five senses. There are performances, exhibitions, food, traditional clothing, and the like from different countries. This year’s Festa focuses mainly on Jamaica and the Philippines and will be held near the Mulbit Stage of Yeouido Hangang Park from October 26 to October 27.

At the Philippine Village, visitors will be able to learn how to dance the Philippine traditional folk dance called Tinikling against a backdrop of the beautiful beaches of Boracay and make their own unique souvenirs with rattan webbing. They can also try mango cubes and halo-halo, well-known Philippine desserts, and have their photos taken in traditional Philippine clothing. At the Jamaican Village, visitors can learn Jamaican dancehall and have their hair braided in reggae style that conjures up the iconic image of Bob Marley against a backdrop of Trench Town. They can also make traditional accessories and sample cocktails and Jamaican blue mountain coffee, considered one of the world’s best three coffees. Visitors can participate in a collect-a-stamp challenge where those who manage to get stamps from all of the activity sections at both the Philippine and Jamaican Villages will win a special gift, which will spice up the cultural experience.

From 4 p.m. on October 27, there will be unique, exciting performances. Korean duo Reggae Peace like a River (Skull & Haha) will perform together with Jamaican reggae musician Jah-Lil. Visitors will also be able to enjoy a unique performance of rising Filipino pop star Dionela, a traditional Filipino folk performance, and an energetic dancehall performance by Jamaican dancers. For further information about the 2024 Asia Song Festival x Culture Bridge Festa, visit the official site (http://www.asiasongfestival.kr) and SNS.