KCC, together with PKCI, bring Happy Hallyu Day 5: A Virtual Fest     “Happy Hallyu Day” turns five and everyone is invited to a virtual fest this coming August 28-29, 2021, 7 PM on the Philippine Kpop Convention Inc. Facebook Page! Celebrate Korean Wave with K-entertainment talks, K-pop performances, contests, games, and more together with PKCI and Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines.   K-Drama enthusiast, Kristel Fulgar, joins this year’s special guests and shares her passion for producing/directing her web drama “Love from Home”. Kpop Dance Diva, Dasuri Choi, got you covered with her stories and tips as a performer. Survival show “Under Nineteen” participant, C13, takes us on a journey as a Korean trainee and performs his debut single, Stay!   The biggest K-pop concert producer, Happee Sy, and Philippine’s premiere Korean entertainment MC, Kring Kim, join forces as they reminisce and spill stuff about K-pop concerts!   2021 debuted P-pop idols grace the HHD5 digital stage as they perform K-pop hits from different generations plus their latest singles! Be charmed by Press Hit Play in their get-to-know segment and performance of debut single, WIN! BINI and BGYO are back to take on K-pop challenges, and burn the stage with K-pop songs and their debut single, Born to Win, and comeback song, The Baddest, respectively!   A five-day “Countdown Special” will happen from August 23 to 27, 2021 where participants can expect entertaining segments, Twitter parties, and exclusive prizes every day from our participating partners, affiliated K-pop fan clubs, and guests:   K-pop fans, Cherie & Mel, share their travel preparations, experiences, and tips when watching K-concerts in a different country. Learn the choreography highlight of a hot K-pop song from dance coach, Tank Bautista. Watch out for some of the favorite local K-pop fan clubs: ATEEZ Philippines, BTS PH - Bangtan Boys Philippines, ENHYPEN Philippines, EXO Philippines, Stray Kids Philippines, THE BOYZ Philippines, Treasure Philippines, and TXT Philippines special segments!   Bringing the best of Asia to your bookshelf, check out Apop at apopbooks.com for their best-selling K-titles translated into English and anticipate new releases soon! Fanlife is your gateway to the stuff you love - register for free at fanlife.ph and use the 10% promo code: HAPPYHALLYU between August 24-Sept 4, 2021 for discounts!             Happy Hallyu Day 5: A Virtual Fest is hosted by Philippine-based Korean host, KyungMin Kim, with opening performances by a multilingual soul-pop princess, Venisse Siy, and performer-producer, J.O. Presented by the Philippine Kpop Convention Inc., together with the Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines, Korea Foundation for International Culture Exchange (KOFICE), Hallyu Com-On, Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, and PKCI’s affiliated K-pop fan clubs, in partnership with Apop and Fanlife.

‘2021 Pinoy K-Pop Star Transcend’ highlights Filipino talent and passion for K-Pop despite the pandemic’s limitations A decade since it was first launched in the country, the annual Philippine finals leg of the K-Pop World Festival went full circle as it achieved yet another milestone this 2021. From being the Korean Cultural Center’s on-ground talent event, “Pinoy K-Pop Star” took things to the next level as it ventured online this year in order to ensure the safety of everyone involved. Hundreds of viewers joined in the fun and cheered on the performances of the “Pinoy K-Pop Star Transcend” stage. Hosted by K-Influencer Kring Kim, the show, which was streamed last July 30 was enjoyed by almost 5,800 combined live viewers on KCC’s Facebook and YouTube accounts. Gracing the event and sharing their jaw-dropping performances were New Generation Dance Princess, AC Bonifacio, and Phenomenal P-Pop group SB19.  “Pinoy K-Pop Star Transcend” has challenged this year’s dance performers to “go beyond their limits” by wowing the audience, as well as, the judges by translating their moves, creativity, talent, and charisma for performing live and onstage to performing remotely and on screen. Out of the many submitted group and solo entries, 6 performers shone the brightest and will have the chance to represent the Philippines in Changwon this October. Apart from that, the first, second, and third place winners will also be taking home P30,000, P20,000, and P15,000, respectively. While the fourth to sixth placers will be receiving special KCC gift bags along with this year’s special PKS Transcend trophy. Bagging the first place is the all-female dance group Alpha PH. Having been formed in 2016, the group has been actively producing K-Pop Dance covers under different genres for live events, competitions, and for their very own SNS. Despite having a tight schedule and the limitations of the pandemic, the group made time to practice every weekend to prepare for their PKS performances. One of their biggest feats to date is their viral dance cover of Everglow’s anthem “Dun Dun,” which now has almost 2 million views.   Coming in at second place is the newbie girl group DES7INY. The number 7 in their name symbolizes the number of days that they work in a week in order to prepare for a particular cover, 7 means nonstop, from Monday to Sunday. Their participation in PKS Transcend, quite interestingly, is the first time that they are dancing together. Nevertheless, they are very much eager to showcase their talent and determination in the local scene in their next dance covers. Snagging the third place is Aesir PH. This all-male cover group accounts for their love for K-Pop as their ultimate uniting element during the pandemic. K-Pop brought them closer to each other and in turn, it has also inspired them to help one another. For the group, dancing and covering their favorite artists has allowed them to express themselves and to encourage others to do the same. Although it is their first time to cover their free song choice by Stray Kids, they took the challenge as a means to prove their skills and flexibility as performers.  Showing that Pinoy talent knows no limits, the groups Mix’In, Hiyas, and Fatal, completed the top 6 winners by finishing at the fourth, fifth, and sixth place, respectively. “Pinoy K-Pop Star” has been an avenue for Filipino performers to share their talents and love for Korean music with the world. This time, all six entries will be sent to KBS to be part of the roster of all the PKS winners from all the KCC’s abroad. After which, they will be trimming the list to 20 to 30 groups/performers, which is where they will select 10 more groups/performers, who would be considered the finalists. These finalists would then be competing among each other to be crowned as the 2021 K-POP World Festival winner in Changwon, South Korea. KCC is rooting for all the highly-talented and world-class “Pinoy K-Pop Star Transcend” winners!

Rediscover Hanbok, Traditional Performances, and K-Food in the PH  through KCC’s August Kolorful Adventures   The heavy downpour, the pandemic or even the ghost month won’t stop the Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines from continuing its efforts in sharing the most educational and entertaining contents for all the K-Culture enthusiasts at home!   This August, we’re giving you more reasons to enjoy being safely tucked at home by sharing Korean performances, traditional fashion, and of course, food!   Your weekend entertainment will be on KCC as we will be streaming traditional performances from the National Gugak Center on our YouTube all Sundays of August. Gugak in (人) project is an online performance series launched by the National Gugak Center to support traditional Korean performance artists and organizations during these trying times. In addition to featuring traditional music, the videos also highlight the beauty of Korea and its wonderful sceneries and landscapes.   Nothing spells Korea like Kimchi and Hanbok. But more is left to be learned for those who love Korea’s national clothing as it will be the subject of this month’s Traditional Thursday. Learn about Hanbok’s colorful and meaningful history and other little known information by tuning in on KCC’s SNS account all Thursdays of August.   But, the fun doesn’t end there, as KCC will finally be deconstructing just how vast the effects are of the Hallyu Wave in the food and beverage industry in the Philippines, through this month’s K-Stans Along With K-Culture feature. Get ready to crave and enjoy BTS Meal, Samgyeopsal and Tteokbokk, among others, by catching the exclusive shorterview feature on KCC’s YouTube channel this August 10.   So if you’re short on activities this August, all you have to do is visit KCC’s social networking sites and we have got you covered!  

July is all about music, memories, and Pinoy K-Pop Star for KCC! July Event Calendar The first half of the year is officially done! As we usher in the other half and as an homage to Linggo ng Musikang Pilipino during the last week of July, Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines will be paying tribute to the music and the globally-renowned Korean brand of music. Mixing both traditional and modern music, there will be something for the K-Pop lovers and classical Korean music enthusiasts this entire month!  Headlining KCC’s July offering is “2021 Pinoy K-Pop Star Transcend,”  the annual Philippine final leg of the K-POP World Festival in Changwon. After taking a break last year, the country’s biggest K-Pop competition is finally coming back and is now all set to take over your homes with smashing performances from the most talented K-Pop cover groups in the country. “2021 Pinoy K-Pop Star Transcend” will take a different turn as it would only focus on dance performances, which would allow the Filipino dancers to once again elevate their talent and showcase their pumping dance moves. Interested participants may send their application until July 11, 2021 at 11:59 PM in order to send their dance demos. Full Guidelines and Details may be accessed through: tinyurl.com/2021PinoyKPop. The most talented performers won’t only get the chance to represent the country to the 2021 K-Pop World Festival, they would also win whopping cash prizes! The first place will win P30,000, the second place will take home P20,000 while the third place will win P15,000. The fourth, fifth and sixth place would still take home special KCC gift bags for them to enjoy. Expect the same kind of energy, showmanship, and entertainment at the “2021 Pinoy K-Pop Star Transcend” event, which will be live-streamed this July 30 on KCC’s YouTube Channel! Meanwhile, all is set for everyone to sing Happy Birthday (생일 축하합니다!) for KCC, as the center would be marking its 10th year in the Philippines this July 19! A trip to the memory lane is in order to celebrate a decade of memories, fun, events, learning, activities, and Korean cultural exchange with Filipinos.   Quite undeniably, one facet of Korean culture that Filipinos have definitely loved is K-Pop. This month’s K-Stans: Along With K-Culture is all about that. Listen to the stories, tips, lessons, and experiences of the people who have been into K-Pop, as well as, the phenomenal trending P-Pop group SB19 and be in awe about how their idols have changed their lives for the better and inspired them to unleash their talents for the world to see. In line with KCC’s continued homage to songs and rhythms, come Traditional Thursday’s and Korean Word of the Day’s. The month-long content of these KCC-original activities would be dedicated to educating the netizens about traditional and popular Korean music. Think pansori, Arirang, BTS and EXO! Since the celebration of culture and milestones is not without music! Join KCC as it marks a special month with good moments, engaging events, and mood-lifting music and performances by staying tuned on the center’s SNS accounts! Follow Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/KoreanCulturalCenterPH/ and @kccphil on Instagram and Twitter for more updates about the Embassy and KCC’s events and activities.

Korean and Filipino TV drama experts exchange K-Drama knowledge and industry techniques in “Rediscover” webinar A fruitful gathering and discussion of great and passionate minds behind drama production from Korea and the Philippines happened last June 30. The Embassy of the Republic of Korea and the Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines event titled “Rediscover the Korean Creative Industry: A webinar on K-Drama Scriptwriting and Marketing” saw almost 500 live viewers on YouTube and hundreds of comments about the packed event. Four experts in TV drama scriptwriting, production, and marketing, namely Rona Co, Joey Reyes, PARK Ji Hyun and LEE Hyo Young roused the viewers with their insights, facts, recommendations and tips about the ins-and-outs and the future of local and Korean drama scriptwriting, marketing, and exportation.  In partnership with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and APOP Books, together with media partners, Inquirer.net, POP and KDrama Pal, the event was hosted by former media practitioner and University of the Philippines’ K-Drama Analysis professor, Ms. Amor Aljibe. “Hello, Love, Goodbye” scriptwriter Ms. Rona Co opened the webinar with her talk on the current efforts that aid the creativity and expertise of scriptwriters. She highlighted that most of the efforts are privately-initiated, among them the ABS-CBN University, wherein creatives can learn from educators from top universities, while the others are individually-established scriptwriting workshops. She likewise pointed out the need for the establishment of a writer's guild in order to protect the interest and empower TV and movie scriptwriters. “We believe an empowered writer is a better storyteller,” Ms. Co highlighted. Seasoned Korean scriptwriter and now a lecturer at the Broadcasting Writers Education Center of the Korea TV and Radio Writers Association, Ms. Park Ji Hyun, who’s behind the locally-adapted K-Drama “All About Eve,” meanwhile discussed the scriptwriting education system in Korea. She shared the rigorous training that she went through before she was able to make her debut as a K-Drama scriptwriter, and, just like her, how most well-known writers these days have also experienced being an assistant or even intern writers once in their lives. Apart from that, she briefly discussed how K-Drama production has evolved over the years and she also gave advice to potential storytellers about the importance of knowing the difference between what you want to write and where you are good at. “Do not binge-watch. Watch it per episode. Because you will miss the point of why the Writer made that ending per episode. Learn to wait and imagine what story you would write for the next episode,” she ended. After talking about the creation of K-Drama came notes on how they are put out there for the world to watch and appreciate. Mr. LEE Hyo Young, president of Young & Contents Co., Ltd covered the topic of marketing and exportation of K-Drama based on his 25 years of combined experience in being part of KBS Media and from being a former consultant at the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA). Having distributed “Boys Over Flowers” in the Philippines, he shared that there has been a 1600% growth rate in Korean drama exportation from 2002 to 2019, which he attributes to the local Korean networks’ quick response to go global because they have a small market locally. Starting from the South East Asian market, they eventually breached other areas, with the biggest success happening in Japan thanks to “Winter Sonata.” According to him, the creative exportation was not affected by the pandemic at all as they have managed to establish no-contact approaches and that OTT (Over The Top Media Service) has paved the way for the audience’s range to widen despite the limitation of the current situation. He also noted that the government’s support played a significant role with the exportation of the Korean creative industry, as it also promoted competitiveness in the form of rewards and compensation for successful creators and provided funding and other forms of support for the producers and creators. “We have to open the channels for many Philippine channels here in Korea. It's a win-win strategy. Korea and the Philippines should work together and encourage more cultural exchange,” Mr. Lee noted regarding the future of content distribution. Educator, film producer, and director, Direk Joey Reyes wrapped up the event with his vibrant lecture centering on the aspect of the patronage of K-Drama during the pandemic and the specific elements that made it appeal to the Filipinos. Aside from the world-class production value, according to Direk Joey, it’s K-Drama’s core principles and values that the audience appreciates the most. He also lauded that the universality in the choices of stories allows the shows to be relatable regardless of one’s race. "K-Drama does not merely entertain, it sells and promotes a culture,” he said. “Make good original stories and the world is your audience. Do not impersonate our Korean brothers, we should learn from them.” Aside from the lessons, lucky viewers who commented their questions via the live chat were also selected to take home a special goodie bag from KCC and some items from its partners. In the end, it was an afternoon of learning, realization, and aspiration as the audience and the speakers all learned from each other. On top of that, the potential and more so, the necessity of a future partnership between the two country’s TV drama experts and other agencies is something that all speakers emphasized. This was made possible all thanks to their shared love and appreciation for K-Dramas that transcend boundaries and ethnicity. Follow Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/KoreanCulturalCenterPH/ and @kccphil on Instagram and Twitter for more updates about the Embassy and KCC’s events and activities.