Spanning two days, the event drew such a surge of international visitors that local restaurants within the sprawling resort struggled to accommodate the influx.
The festival has evolved into a global pilgrimage for fans of Korean pop music, with attendees traveling from as far as Australia, China, and Japan. One fan from Sydney described herself as having become a “K-pop fanatic” during the early days of the pandemic.
“It started with BTS in 2020,” she said. Since 2022, she has returned to Korea four times, initially for BTS tours and now, she noted, “on another tour for different artists with the BTS Australian ARMY.”
The opening day was headlined by ENHYPEN, whose hour-long set featured 15 tracks performed with live band accompaniment. The seven-member boy group delivered an eclectic mix of songs, from the tender “Loose” and “XO (Only If You Say Yes)” to the darker, fantasy-infused “Bite Me.” They also premiered the unreleased “Far” from their forthcoming mini-album Orange Blood and previewed choreography from their new single “Bad Desire (With or Without You),” slated for release Thursday.
Sunday’s lineup reflected the breadth of Hybe’s talent roster.
Girl group LE SSERAFIM performed without member Huh Yunjin, who is recovering from a back injury, but the remaining members carried the set with high-energy renditions of “CRAZY,” “HOT,” “UNFORGIVEN,” and “ANTIFRAGILE.”
Rising boy group TWS drew loud cheers as they returned to the festival for a second year. They performed fan favorites and surprised the crowd by joining a dance tutorial segment, an unscheduled but warmly received interlude.
TOMORROW X TOGETHER closed out the festival for the third consecutive year, offering a 17-song set that included their recent digital single “Love Language” and several solo tracks.
Veteran performer BoA took the stage as the festival’s tribute artist, marking her 25th anniversary with a nostalgic medley of early-2000s hits. The audience joined in for “Atlantis Princess” and “No. 1,” and the singer — long considered one of K-pop’s formative figures — announced a new album scheduled for August.
The weekend also offered a glimpse into the next generation of K-pop. Newcomers such as P1Harmony and the Dreamcatcher subunit UAU rounded out the bill, offering performances that underscored Hybe’s efforts to cultivate emerging talent alongside its more established acts.
reporter
Candice Kim
candicekim1121@ajupress.com
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