K-pop fans gather in Seoul to compete in finals of 2022 K-Pop Cover Dance Festival

Finalists of the 2022 K-Pop Cover Dance Festival perform in a flash mob at the Cheong Wa Dae compound in Seoul, Friday. Courtesy of KCDF

By Kwak Yeon-soo

K-pop fans from around the world gathered in Seoul this month to compete in the finals of the annual K-Pop Cover Dance Festival (KCDF). A total of 87 contenders from 12 countries, including the U.S., Australia, Mexico, Indonesia and Turkey, advanced to the final round of the competition that was held on Saturday.

The KCDF, which began in 2011, is designed to grow global interest in “hallyu,” or the Korean wave, as well as K-pop.

“K-pop cover dancers, mostly in their late teens and early 20s, will be staying in Seoul until Oct. 17 to perform flash mobs, compete in the final competition and experience Korean culture,” the festival’s organizer said.

In the days prior to the final round of competition, the participants performed flash mobs at popular tourist attractions around Seoul, such as Gwanghwamun Square, Banpo Hangang Park and Dongdaemun Design Plaza.

While participants of the festival in previous years performed at these places, a new place has been added this year: Cheong Wa Dae, the former presidential office and residence compound for 74 years, which was opened to the public this May after the presidential office was moved to Yongsan District.

At Cheong Wa Dae on Friday, contestants danced to 34 K-pop songs, including: TWICE’s “Feel Special,” IVE’s “After Like,” Stray Kids’ “Maniac,” NCT 127’s “Kick It,” BTS’ “Butter” and ATEEZ’s “Guerrilla.”

Finalists of the 2022 K-pop Cover Dance Festival pose after performing in a flash mob at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, Friday. Korea Times photo by Kwak Yeon-soo

“I’m a member of a dance crew called Virtue. We practice K-pop dance and upload dance cover videos on our YouTube channel, Virtue Dance,” said Pessotto Tianna Lourdes, a contestant from Australia. “We found out about the festival online and decided to take part in it because it felt like an exciting opportunity to come to Korea. We look forward to trying Korean food and meeting new people.”

Thai dance crew GunSquad, consisting of 13 members, expressed their wish to win the grand prize.

“I love K-pop music and dance. The visuals and choreographies are really cool, and I think K-pop cover dance is an interesting hobby. I love so many things about Korea. The people are so kind,” said Vongrukun Sasit, a contestant from the Thai team.

Participants from Turkey said they found out about the festival through the Korean Cultural Center in Turkey.

“We actually have more members in our dance crew, but only four of us were chosen to come to Korea. K-pop artists are true all-rounders and I respect them so much. Apart from the competition, I look forward to trying on hanbok and eating Korean food,” said Ecevit Ezgi, a contestant from Turkey.

In the final round held on Nodeul Island in Seoul, Saturday, three teams -- from the Philippines, the U.S. and Thailand -- won the top prizes together. The festival was co-hosted by the Seoul Shinmun Daily, Seoul Metropolitan Government and Korean Cultural Centers around the world. The panel of judges included K-pop boy band KINGDOM.