One Asia Festival to bring global fans to Busan
The Busan Fireworks Festival (Oct. 22) will also be held during the One Asia Festival period, which is scheduled for Oct. 1 to 23. / Courtesy of the Busan Tourism Organization
Grandest-ever K-pop event to open in October
By Jung Min-ho
Psy
Busan will host the largest and longest K-pop festival next month.
Organizers have been putting the finishing touches to the One Asia Festival, which is scheduled for Oct. 1 to 23. The Busan Metropolitan Government (BMG) believes the event will draw about 1.5 million visitors, including 150,000 from overseas.
“In terms of size and diversity of content, the festival will be unprecedented,” said Yoon Young-ki, an official from the Busan Tourism Organization (BTO), which organizes the event. “It will combine music, fan meetings, exhibitions and other special events. There will be plenty of things to enjoy.”
At different venues across Busan, the festival will feature some of the biggest K-pop stars, including Psy, Girls Generation, INFINITE, AOA and CNBLUE.
On the first day, the opening performance will be held at the Asiad Main Stadium at 5:20 p.m. The lineup includes Psy, Girls Generation, CNBLUE, INFINITE, Block B, Bangtan Boys, B1A4, Apink, Girl’s Day, B.A.P, T-ara, I.O.I and Lyn. For the following three days, the performances will continue at BEXCO, where fans will also be invited to meet their favorite stars.
Apink
On the city’s streets, fans will enjoy various music and dance performances during the festival.
For those who want to know about how Korean celebrities do makeup and what products they use, a beauty exhibition will be held at BEXCO from Sept. 30 to Oct. 9. More than 100 cosmetic companies will set up booths to promote their products, providing fans with makeup tips and information about Korea’s latest beauty trends.
At Taste Busan, another major exhibition planned at BEXCO from Sept. 30 to Oct. 3, some of the most famous Korean chefs, including Lee Yeon-bok, Choi Hyun-seok, Oh Se-deuk, Hong Sin-ae, An Hyun-min and Shin Dong-min, will share their recipes for Korean dishes.
“For almost a month, participants will be able to experience many things about Korean pop culture. The festival is like a whole package,” Yoon said.
CNBLUE
The One Asia Dream Concert, which is scheduled at the Asiad Main Stadium on the last day, will be the finale of the 23-day event. In addition to performances of K-pop singers, it will feature artists of different genres and backgrounds, including Chinese dancers.
Organizers are expecting a major success. They said more than 27,000 out of 34,000 tickets for the opening performance were sold within a day. The BMG and the BTO expect the event to help the city, which is best known for the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), further grow into the cultural hub of Asia. The city government hopes to expand its profile abroad by taking advantage of hallyu, or the love of Korean cultural exports.
In terms of tourism, October is expected to be a big month for Busan. Other major events, including BIFF, Busan Fireworks Festival, Asia Song Festival and Busan International Food Expo will be held in the city.
“They are expected to create synergy, and we hope this will be a great turning point for Busan,” Yoon said.