S. Korea to put on series of K-pop concerts for foreign residents

South Korea will hold a series of concerts showcasing traditional and contemporary Korean music for foreign residents for the second year in a row, organizers said Thursday.

Four "Hello, Mr. K" concerts are scheduled for this year in the capital area starting Thursday, the Korean Culture and Information Service affiliated with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said.

The first concert will take place at the U.S. Eighth Army headquarters in Yongsan, central Seoul, featuring Jinusean, Babylon, 4TEN and other K-pop artists, as well as LED, B-boy and taekwondo dances, and "samulnori," a traditional Korean percussion music.

The same event will be held at the Yonsei University Korean Language Institute in Seoul on July 21; KINTEX in Goyang, just northwest of Seoul, on Aug. 30 at the opening ceremony of the 2016 World Print and Communication Forum; and Kyunghee University in eastern Seoul on Oct. 5.

The government began the free concert series last year to enhance foreigners' understanding of Korean culture and promote it globally. (Yonhap)