RIYADH: Team Everlast, a group of three female dancers, made it to the finals of the World K-Pop Festival after their performance at the Warehouse in Jax District on Saturday.
The South Korean Embassy hosted the first final of the festival in partnership with the Saudi Entertainment Academy.
“I think this is a very meaningful and important event for both countries,” Choi Byung-hyuk, South Korea's ambassador to Saudi Arabia, told Arab News. The K-Pop World Festival will be held on October 13 and will be held in Korea. And more than 80 countries will participate in that event.
“Unfortunately, currently, talented young Saudi men and women do not get a chance to participate there,” he said.
“That's why we planned this event to select talented young men and women who want to participate in the Korean K-Pop Festival,” Choi said.
The K-Pop World Festival is held annually in Changwon, South Korea and welcomes performers from around the world, including Kuwait, Singapore, the United States, Spain, Ireland, Canada and Cuba.
This is the first time that the kingdom participates in this festival. Saturday's competition was the final stage where the 10 contestants who made it through the preliminary stage performed for the chance to represent Saudi Arabia at the K-Pop World Festival in Changwon.
“I think this is a big step forward for Saudi Arabia's bright future under Vision 2030,” the ambassador said.
We are trying to contribute to the vision of Saudi Arabia 2030 and the first chapter is a vibrant community.
Before the performers took to the stage to showcase their singing and dancing talents, the Korean ambassador gave a speech highlighting the strong cultural ties between Saudi Arabia and South Korea.
South Korea and Saudi Arabia have had very special and friendly relations for the past 62 years and are important countries for each other.
“Korea is making a lot of efforts, not only diplomatically and economically, but also in terms of cultural exchange and tourism,” he said.
After the ambassador's speech, K-pop guest singer Jen took the stage to perform a song.
The warehouse at Jax was full and many people stood on the sides and corners of the room to cheer on the performers.
The presenter of this event was Saudi comedian Khalid Khalifa.
In addition to Team Everlast, other winners included Selva, Liana, Aman, and Harin Kim.
At the end of the event, Warehouse announced that they are planning to hold a new K-pop night at the venue.
