The 2026 Changwon K-POP World Festival, where K-POP fans from around the globe showcase their talents, will kick off on October 18 at Changwon Plaza.
After preliminary rounds, 19 finalists from six countries—Peru, France, Ethiopia, Ukraine, Tanzania, and Kyrgyzstan—will take the stage in Changwon.
Now in its 15th year, the festival will be held at 5 p.m. on October 18 at a special stage in Changwon Plaza. While maintaining the traditional format of featuring international finalists alongside domestic K-POP performances, this year’s opening will introduce a new collaborative performance.
The enthusiasm for K-POP among international participants was evident from the preliminary rounds, with over 1,000 teams initially applying. After several local qualifiers, 140 teams from 51 countries entered the competition, and six teams comprising 19 members advanced to the finals in Changwon.
The number of finalists varies each year; last year, four teams made it to the finals, while eight teams qualified in 2024. The selection process through international preliminaries and expert evaluations results in differing numbers of finalists each year, according to city officials.
This year’s performance structure will differ from last year’s. Instead of collaborative stages between international finalists and domestic K-POP artists, the opening will feature a joint performance by all 19 finalists from six countries, allowing participants selected from different nations to share the stage before the main competition.
Following the finals, Click-B, ONF, Lee Mujin, Na Tae-joo, and FIFTY FIFTY will perform in a celebratory concert. The lineup includes first-generation idols as well as currently active K-POP groups and solo artists, with broadcaster Park So-hyun and AI character 'Jiwon' co-hosting the event.
It has been confirmed that there will be no separate local tourism programs for the international finalists during their stay in Changwon. The detailed schedule for the participating teams will be managed by KBS, the event's organizer.
The total budget for the event is 1.2 billion won, with 1.1 billion won funded by Changwon City and 100 million won from Gyeongnam Province, without any national funding. Although requests for national and provincial support were made, this year's event will be financed solely through city and provincial funds.
Changwon City will oversee budget support, performance management, and on-site safety. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will assist with the preliminaries held in various regions, while KBS will manage the main event.
Admission is free for all attendees. Ticket reservations will open on October 1 at 4 p.m. on NOL Ticket, with a reservation fee of 2,000 won per ticket, similar to last year’s fee, which is charged by the ticketing site.
A city official stated, “The basic structure of the international finalists’ stage and domestic K-POP guest performances remains the same as last year, but this year’s opening will feature a joint performance by all six international teams instead of collaborative stages with K-POP artists.”
* This article has been translated by AI.
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