Chen, Baekhyun and Xiumin from the pop sensation EXO perform in the ‘K-drama Festa in Pyeongchang’ event in Pyeongchang, Gangwon-do Province, on Feb. 18. The combined pop concert and fashion show was held to mark the one-year point until the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games that will be held across Gangwon-do Province next year.
“Come to Pyeongchang!”
The Yongpyong Dome in Pyeongchang was filled with shouts and cheers, as the audience waited in expectation.
This was the “K-drama Festa in Pyeongchang” event that took place at the Yongpyong Dome in Pyeongchang, Gangwon-do Province, on Feb, 18. The concert and fashion show introduced the future Olympic host city to the world and hoped for a successful hosting of the Winter Games next year, just under one year away.
The concert was hosted by Lee Teuk from the pop group Super Junior, and by Chungha from the pop group I.O.I. The concert featured some of the most famous K-pop singers out there, such as Chen, Baekhyun and Xiumin from the boy band EXO, and other boy bands, such as BTOB and Astro. The show starred D.Holic, a girl group that is also serving as PR ambassadors for Gangwon-do Province, singers Kim Bum-soo, Gummy and Lyn, and the Japanese group Boys and Men. They played many K-pop hits and even performed some soundtrack songs for popular TV shows.
The ‘K-drama Festa in Pyeongchang’ concert and fashion show attracted more than 5,000 people from both Korea and overseas.
The “K-drama Festa in Pyeongchang” also featured a fashion show of traditional Hanbok clothes. Many audience members kept a close eye on the show, as it featured Lee Young-ae, an actress in the popular soap opera “Saimdang, Light’s Diary.” The show is based on the story of Shin Saimdang (申師任堂) (1504-1551), an artist from mid-Joseon times. Many of the episodes are filmed in Gangwon-do Province, as the painter was based in the region.
Hanbok designer Han Eun-hee (left) and Lee Young-ae (right, front), the main actress in the soap opera ‘Saimdang, Light’s Diary,’ are featured in a Hanbok fashion show as part of the ‘K-drama Festa in Pyeongchang’ festivities.
An audience some 5,000-strong enjoyed the concert and the show, with full of hopes and expectations for the upcoming Winter Olympics next year.
Some of the non-Korean members in the audience participated in a special program jointly hosted by the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) and Gangwon-do Province. It involved watching some of the ongoing Olympic test events, such as the FIS Snowboard World Cup and a “ski experience” at either the Alpensia or Yongyong Resorts, all of which was designed to widen their understanding about the Olympic Games host city.
For a successful hosting of the games, the KTO and Gangwon-do Province will concentrate on developing tourism content throughout all four seasons, targeting non-Korean tourists, supporting the Olympic test events, and developing other programs for visitors from overseas.
A ceremony marks the opening of the ‘K-drama Festa in Pyeongchang’ concert and fashion show, and everyone hopes for a successful Winter Olympics next year.
By Yoon Sojung
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photos: KTO, Gangwon-do Province
arete@korea,kr
