SAVE THE DATE FOR A JAM-PACKED K-POP DAY IN THE 2022 PINOY KPOP STAR: HAIL THE ICONS     The icons have finally aligned and conspired for the greatest to meet!   The 2022 Pinoy K-pop Star: Hail the Icons will once again fulfill dreams on July 16, 2022 at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall offline after holding it online for the past year. Hosted by Kring Kim, the event will have five participants from both Vocal and Performance category will have to compete for the crown and be hailed as the Philippines’ next ICON.   Only one from the voice from the vocal prowesses Danielle Mei Everett, Joy Lorenze Locsin, Merry Mia Sinaguinan, Sandra Faith Dela Cruz, and Stephani Aseron will stand out from the rest to be crown as the grand winner.   Likewise, only one from dance supremacies 7øs, Alpha, Amiel Giann, Principium and Project One will get to the rhythm of grand winner.   To get to their dreams, the participants have to impress distinguished judges Happee Sy-Go, the VP and COO of Pulp Live World Production Inc., Dasuri Choi, a famous content creator and celebrity, Joseph Francia, the First VP of GMA International and Anne Luis, the Head of the Sentro-Rizal Cultural Affairs Office (NCCA).     The grand winner from each category will be the Philippines’ representative for the 2022 Changwon Kpop World Festival. Aside from being the country’s representative, the grand winner will go home with Php 50, 000 as cash prize, while the 2nd and 3rd place will bag Php 30, 000 and Php 20, 000 respectively.   The fun doesn’t stop there as audiences will be treated with a jaw-dropping performance by P-Pop group KAIA and VXON.   The program will officially start at 5PM, but you should not miss out the pre-show event, The Kpop Open Stage at 10AM by the Philippine Kpop Convention (PKCI) which will be hosted by Chi Manimbo. There will be surprising guest performances, fun-filled games and not only that, a Kpop Cover Dance Open Stage to show your K-groove to the test.   That’s not all as audiences will be treated as well with different Kpop fandom booths where they can buy items related to their favorite groups or meet fellow stans that could be their forever chingus!   Those who can’t wait to secure their tickets may reserve theirs through < tinyurl.com/2022PKSTicket>. Pre-registered audiences will have to show their email confirmation to the onsite staff to get their wrist tags. But if you’re still unsure about who to bring, whether it be your family, your friend or your lover, there is also an onsite registration.   Cheer on for the next ICON on July 16, 2022 at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall and witness sheer and great talent with your own eyes!  

KCC LAUNCHES THREE FACE-TO-FACE CULTURAL CLASSES TO THE PUBLIC STARTING JULY 20   The fun never stops here in Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines as the center introduces its fresh and new lineup for its Cultural Classes for July 20! Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines introduces its Cooking Class, Korean Traditional Dance Class and Taekwondo Class that will all be held in its new building. The classes were selected due to their popular demand from both the center’s visitors as well as from the interest of the general public. The Cooking Class will be taught by KCC’s Teacher Lily Min who has also handled the previous cooking classes. The class will be held in KCC’s new Cooking Classroom and will teach 16 students per class. The curriculum will touch upon different Korean food cooking techniques as well as the history and social culture of Korea through food. Interested participants can select the menu for 8 weeks they’d like to join upon registration. KCC’s Teacher Kim Hyo Jun, who is the President of Korea Taekwondo Association in the Philippines, will handle the Taekwondo Class. The class will be held in KCC’s new K-Studio and will teach 30 students in total. There will be 2 sessions of Taekwondo classes on Saturday and 30 students will have a level test on the first day to divide the group into 2 sessions. It will touch upon the deeply rooted discipline and martial arts centered in Korean culture. It also includes the strengthening of the mind and the body and learning the etiquette associated with it. Finally, the Korean Traditional Class will be taught by KCC’s Teacher Jo Jang Eun who has handled the previous traditional dance classes. The class will be held in KCC’s new K-Studio, the same as the Taekwondo class, and will teach 15 students in total on Saturday. There will be one session a week and its curriculum will touch upon the history and social culture of Korea through its music and dance, particularly Buchaechum or “Fan Dance” which drew influences from traditional Korean folk dances. All Cultural Classes will be held from July 20, 2022 to September 17, 2022. The students will be selected from a first apply, first slot basis via forms that will be released on KCC’s official FACEBOOK accounts on July 13 at 10 AM. No fees will be paid by any student for the whole duration of the class, and materials needed for the classes such as ingredients, uniforms and gears are also provided for by the center. KCC currently offers free Korean Language classes with a hybrid setup. For more information and updates of KCC’s newest events and projects, you may visit its official Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts @KCCPhil, and its website phil.korean-culture.org. 

ARE YOU NEXT? BE THE NEXT ICON WITH KCC’S PINOY K-POP STAR This year, the crown is for yours to take and be hailed as the future icon with Pinoy K-Pop Star! Ten people, five from each category, whose light shone the most during the preliminary round, will have the chance to give a performance of their lives and compete in SM Mall of Asia’s Music Hall on July 16, 2022, and be the Philippines’ representative for the 2022 Changwon K-Pop World Festival. Whether you are passionate about dancing, singing or both, and whether you want to perform alone or with your friends, you have the chance to win to be the NEXT icon! The contest is open for solo, duo or group of Filipino nationality singers and dancers who preferably must be 18 years old and above at the time of the competition. Contestants aged 17 years old and below are allowed to join by submitting a waiver that they are allowed by their parents (or authorized guardian) to join. Contestants also must be a resident and citizen of the Philippines, and must perform a K-Pop song from 2020 – 2022. Future and aspiring stars may refer to the full contest guidelines through KCC’s official social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@KCCPhil), and through www.tinyurl.com/2022PKSInfo. There’s no time to waste as the deadline of entries for aspirants will be on June 26, 2022. The grand winner from the Vocal Category, and the grand winner and second placer of the Performance Category will be the Philippines’ official representative to the 2022 Changwon K-Pop Festival. Aside from getting the chance to represent the Philippines, the winner will also get Php 50, 000 as cash prize. Meanwhile, the second placer and the third placer will get Php 30, 000 and Php 20, 000 respectively. Yet this is not the end of what’s in store for you! Supporters of these aspiring stars as well as other guests may enjoy different prizes and booths from our partner Philippine K-pop Convention (PKCI). You can’t miss the program PKCI will hold prior to the contest which features different P-Pop dance groups plus a special performance from an award winning multi-talented P-Pop group! The stars have aligned for you. Are you ready to take on the crown and be the next ICON?

KCC KICKS OFF FAMILY MONTH WITH TAEKWONDO WORKSHOP Learning Taekwondo as a family brings everyone together and helps develop a stronger familial bond from the wonderful memories created. That’s why in honor of the Family Month, the Korean Culture and Information Service (KOCIS)’s Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines (KCC) held 준비: Taekwondo Family Workshop for children and their parents to experience and learn Taekwondo from Teacher Kim Hyo Jun, the president of Korea Taekwondo Association in the Philippines, and his students. Ten pairs of children and their parents selected from an online draw were able to learn about the history of Taekwondo and its different attack and defense techniques. It was really a family celebration in KCC because while the workshop intended for children to learn together with only one adult, it didn’t stop them from bringing both of their parents, grandparents and even siblings to the workshop. Children ages 6 to 13 were able to try out their skills in Taekwondo by breaking wooden boards and hitting kick pads with the help of Teacher Kim and his students as the parents cheer them on from the sides. They were also able to learn basic self-defense, and 품새 (Poomsae), which is a performance of sequence or patterns of martial art techniques and forms. There was also a child-parent interaction wherein the parents were the ones who held the wooden boards and the kick pads for their children to hit. Aside from the free workshop, the families were able to receive free Taekwondo shirts to commemorate their experience and to constantly remind them that they can do anything with their family supporting them. KCC currently offers free Korean Language classes and in line with its goal of culture collaboration between Korea and the Philippines, it is planning to open Korean Culture-related classes such as Taekwondo, Korean Cooking Class, K-Pop Dance, Korean Traditional Dance, and Korean painting. For two years, it has been offering classes online, and준비: Taekwondo Family Workshop is among its first offline workshops. It is planning to conduct more onsite classes and workshops in the future. For more information and updates of KCC’s newest events and projects, you may visit its official Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts @KCCPhil, and its website phi.korean-culture.org.

KCC JUMPSTARTS PHIL-KOR COLLABORATION WITH MURAL After Korean Culture and Information Service (KOCIS)’s Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines (KCC) opened its doors to the public last March 25, it also unveiled its resolution to promote the cultural exchange between Korea and the Philippines. In line with its goals for 2022, KCC in partnership with Metropolitan Museum created a project which showcases the culture collaboration of Korea and the Philippines through the creative mind of mural artist Jappy Agoncillo. For KCC, the mural is a collaboration and friendship between Korea and the Philippines, incorporating representative and national symbols from both countries. Since the center’s building is a harmonization of traditional and modern Korean elements, the mural also harmonizes traditional concepts with contemporary art. It also serves as an aesthetic feature for guests where they can take their pictures.  Jappy Agoncillo wanted to incorporate the similarities and friendship of Filipinos and Koreans, and as thus, included national symbols from both countries. “For the color palette, I really want to look at the Korean traditional elements and colors, especially the palace colors. I really those strong colors represent in the mural.” He added. The mural stands as a symbol of KCC’s goals for the years to come, a reminder that it now serves as the bridge between the cultural exchange and collaboration between Korea and the Philippines.