Lee Hae-rin is a City Desk reporter at The Korea Times, covering social issues, tourism and taekwondo. She is passionate about speaking up for the rights of minorities, including women, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities and animals as well as discovering the latest makgeolli trend in town. Feel free to reach her at lhr@koreatimes.co.kr.
Dance festival celebrating 'KPop Demon Hunters' to be held at Seoul Plaza
Some 1,200 drones light up the night sky at Ttukseom Hangang Park in eastern Seoul’s Gwangjin District, Sunday, during the 2025 Han River Light Performance themed around the hit Netflix film "KPop Demon Hunters." Newsis
By Lee Hae-rin
Seoul Plaza will transform into a dance stage for global fans of Netflix’s animated film “KPop Demon Hunters” this Sunday, as the city hosts the 2025 Seoul Hunters Festival featuring dance, music and interactive K-pop programs.
Organized by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Seoul Tourism Organization, the event will be held at Seoul Plaza in front of City Hall on Sunday at 6 p.m., featuring cover performances inspired by the film’s soundtracks and choreography.
Singer-rapper DinDin and television personality Cho Hyun-young will host the event, which will showcase 10 teams from across Asia, the Americas and Europe. While some teams will travel to Seoul to perform in person, others will join the competition through an online stream.
Organizers said one of the highlights will be the appearance by Choding Huntrix, a young cover team composed of elementary school students whose performance clips recently surpassed 9 million views on YouTube.
The competition will be divided into dance and vocal categories and structured in rounds, using five iconic songs featured in key scenes of the film. Judges’ scores will be combined with audience reactions to determine four winning teams — two in dance and two in vocals.
The festival is designed not only as a competition but as a participatory celebration of the cultural sensation surrounding K-pop and the globally popular film.
Admission is free and festival highlights will be livestreamed on the city’s official Visit Seoul Youtube channel.
“We want foreign tourists to experience firsthand the cityscape and charms they’ve seen on screen and to take unforgettable memories home,” said Joo Jong-won, head of the Seoul Tourism and Sports Bureau.