Singapore, 2016 – SGKpopcon is returning this year, bigger than ever! The Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Singapore is pleased to present the Singapore Preliminary of “K-Pop World Festival 2016” with SGKpopcon on 24 June (Friday) at Joyden Hall, Bugis+. It hopes to not only cultivate local interest in Korean lifestyle and entertainment through exciting performances, but also to celebrate the fusion of both local and Korean cultures.

With the competition returning for the third time this year, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the Republic of Singapore, Mr Lee Sangdeok, comments, “I am pleased that the youths in Singapore have more opportunities to enjoy and understand Korean music and culture through K-Pop World Festival. We plan to continue arranging various events for Singaporeans to participate in so as to contribute to the promotion of people-to-people cultural exchange between our two countries.”

This year, under the vocal and performance categories, 12 finalists in total have been shortlisted from 40 entries received via the online auditions, held earlier this month for the Singapore Preliminary of “K-Pop World Festival 2016”. Hosted by DeeKosh, these finalists will be battling it out at SGKpopcon, to win a chance to represent Singapore at the further rounds of the KBS K-Pop World Festival 2016 in Changwon, Republic of Korea. There are also other attractive prizes to be won.

Apart from the dance competition, Hallyu fans can also look forward to a wide array of performances that SGKpopcon 2016 has to offer. For the first time ever, we have invited Korean indie singer-songwriter 곽푸른하늘 (Kwak Pureun Haneul), to grace us with a special performance. Nicknamed “Hongdae IU” from her performance on the show Super Star K7, the 23-year-old artist will be showcasing her charming stage presence, paired with unique musicality, with a live performance.

Also featuring in the event are last year’s Singapore Preliminary cover dance winners, Starreseconds, who won a chance to compete in “Visit Korea’s K-Pop Festival 2015.” Their excellent performance in Korea put them in the 2nd place out of 12 competing nations. This year, Starreseconds will put up a collaborative performance with Masters from Ildo Taekwondo. Under the team name of Nol-I, they will stage a K- Pop-infused Taekwondo performance. A first of its kind in Singapore – definitely a performance to look out for!