A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
| K-POP World Festival | |
|---|---|
 2013 contestant group photo | |
| Genre | K-pop |
| Location(s) | Changwon, South Korea |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Website | k-popworldfestival |
The K-POP World Festival is an annual K-pop talent competition organized by South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the support of numerous government agencies.[1] After going through a few preliminary rounds, fans of K-pop are invited by the South Korean government to take part in the final round of the competition held every year in Changwon, South Korea.[1]
Background
The event is organized by South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the support from various state agencies including:
- The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST)
- The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS)
- Overseas diplomatic missions and embassies of South Korea
According to the organizers, the purpose of the event is to bring Hallyu fans from all over the world to South Korea, thereby fusing the culture of Korea with the cultures of various countries from all over the world.
In an effort to make the event one where Korean culture comes together with cultures of participants, those who reinterpret or rearrange K-Pop by fusing it with their traditional music or instrument sounds, will be given extra points.
Timeline
2011
The preliminary competition was hosted in 16 countries with more than 30,000 applicants and over 10,000 fans attending the December 7 finals in Changwon. Boy group JAM from Kazakhstan who performed Shinee's Ring Ding Dong won the performance grand prize while solo performer Karla Carreon from Philippine who performed Yumi's Star won the vocals grand prize. Guest performers included T-ara, Secret, Sistar, K.Will, Boyfriend, MBLAQ, Infinite and CNBLUE.
| Region | Country | Performer | Award | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Asia |  Kazakhstan
|
JAM | Grand Prize – Performance | [2] |
| Southeast Asia |  Philippines
|
Karla Carreon | Grand Prize – Vocals | [2] |
2012
The competition was hosted in 33 countries before finals on October 28. Girl group O.M.G. from who performed Girl Generation medley won the performance grand prize. According to the Embassy of Czech Republic in Seoul, the Ambassador, Jaroslav Olša, Jr., personally congratulated them on winning the contest.[3] The group received a CD containing a South Korean adaptation of a famous Czech musical.[3] Duo from Indonesia, Nadya and Marwah who performed Sistar 19's Ma Boy won the vocals grand prize. Guest performers included TVXQ, Secret, MBLAQ, F.T. Island, B.A.P and Apink.
| Region | Country | Performer | Award | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Europe |  Czech Republic
|
O.M.G. | Grand Prize – Performance | [3] |
| Southeast Asia |  Indonesia
|
Nadya & Marwah | Grand Prize – Vocals | [3] |
2013
The competition was hosted in 58 cities from 43 nations, with more than 60,000 applicants, and over 25,000 fans attending the October 20 finals in Changwon. Performance grand prizes were awarded to girl group Alladin from Uzbekistan who performed Miss A's Bad Girl Good Girl and vocals grand prize were awarded to solo performer Arnelle Nonon from the U.S. who performed Lee Hi's "1,2,3,4". Guest performers included Miss A, EXO, Rainbow, Infinite and B.A.P.[4][5]
| Region | Country | Performer | Award | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Asia |  Uzbekistan
|
Alladin | Grand Prize – Performance | [4] |
| North America |  United States
|
Arnelle "Elly" Nonon | Grand Prize – Vocals | [4] |
2014
The preliminary competition was hosted in 70 countries before the finals on October 19 in Changwon. Overall grand prize were awarded to girl group GGC Crew from Ireland who performed Girls' Generation's I Got A Boy. The performance grand prize were awarded to a group from Finland High Definition who performed BTS's Boy In Luv while a team from Japan, Flashy who performed Ailee's I Will Show You won the vocals grand prize. Guest performers included EXO-K, B.A.P, Block B, IU, Sistar and Apink.
Award
| Award | Contestant | Country | Song | Original Artist | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Prize - Overall | GGC Crew |  Ireland
|
I Got A Boy | Girls' Generation | [6] |
| Grand Prize - Performance | High Definition |  Finland
|
Boy In Luv | BTS | [6] |
| Grand Prize - Vocals | Flashy |  Japan
|
I Will Show You | Ailee | [6] |
Other Contestant
These contestants didn't win an award, but they did perform and represent their country:
| Contestant | Country | Act | Song | Original Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vi.RUS | Russia | Vocal | Come Back Home | 2NE1 |
| Double The Fire | USA | Vocal | Ice | Akdong Musician |
| X-Junior | Laos | Performance | Overdose | Exo |
| Natalie Turjeman | Israel | Vocal | It's Alright, It's Love | Davichi |
| R2E | Greece | Vocal | You Don't Love Me | Spica |
| Helena Dimmel | Austria | Vocal | Who You? | G-Dragon |
| Prism | UK | Performance | One Shot | B.A.P |
| Filipa Cardoso | Portugal | Vocal | Lonely | 2NE1 |
| Effe(x)tion | Czech Republic | Performance | Red Light | f(x) |
| Inseong | Mexico | Vocal | Eyes, Nose, Lips | Taeyang |
| Ochirbat.B | Mongolia | Vocal | Moon of Seoul | Roy Kim |
| Level Two | Chile | Performance | Ringa Linga | Taeyang |
2015
Awards
The Pacific Starz of Nigeria won the overall Grand Prize of 12 Million South Korean Won ($12,000). The group led by Praise Nelson and made up of 5 members, performed the BTS song Danger.
| Award | Contestant | Country | Act | Song | Original Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Prize | Pacific Starz | Nigeria | Performance | Danger | BTS |
| Excellent Performance | Epsilon Kueen | Malaysia | Performance | Voodoo Doll | VIXX |
| Excellent Performance | Ryan | Mexico | Vocal | Love Song | Rain |
| Best Performance | Nonlas | Vietnam | Performance | Ah Yeah | EXID |
| Best Performance | Rebecca Strachan | UK | Vocal | If | Taeyeon |
| Audience Favorite | Censored | Finland | Performance | Call Me Baby | Exo |
| Audience Favorite | Crystal | Uruguay | Vocal | Lonely | 2NE1 |
Other Contestant
These contestants didn't win an award, but they did perform and represent their country:
| Contestant | Country | Act | Song | Original Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pepero | Australia | Performance | Mamma Mia | KARA |
| VxZ | Philippines | Performance | Joah | Jay Park |
| Xplicit | Ecuador | Performance | Don't Tease Me | SPEED |
| Belleame | Japan | Vocal | Who you? | G-Dragon |
| Seoul Beat | Romania | Performance | Crazy | 4Minute |
| MAZE | Morocco | Performance | Shake It | Sistar |