The inaugural K-pop Konecta IberoAmerica K-pop Stars Festival was held on Sept. 5 in 21 countries in the Ibero-American region, or nations where Spanish and/or Portuguese are the predominant languages. The photo shows (clockwise from left) four K-pop cover teams from Brazil, Mexico, Spain and Argentina from among the eight that participated in the event.
By Kim Hyelin and Yoon Sojung
Photos = Korean Cultural Center in Spain
As the non-contact lifestyle is the new normal amid the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 20,000 people in 21 Ibero-American countries have taken part in an inaugural K-pop online festival livestreamed in real time.
The K-pop Konecta IberoAmerica K-pop Stars Festival on Sept. 5 was jointly hosted by the four Korean Cultural Centers (KCC) in the region, namely in Spain, Brazil, Mexico and Argentina.
The festival featured performances by eight K-pop cover teams representing the four nations. The videos of all the teams were filmed at landmarks in their respective countries, adding more flavor for viewers.
The festival was watched by not only viewers in the four countries of the participants but also by those in other Ibero-American countries with relatively fewer chances to experience Korean culture like Costa Rica, Bolivia, Nicaragua and Cuba. Also, viewers in the U.S., France, Gabon, Israel, Japan and other countries comprised 3% of the viewers.
Live chat participants of the K-pop Konecta IberoAmerica K-pop Stars Festival shared messages of hope for overcoming COVID-19. (Screenshot from festival's site)
The festival also drew heated media attention from each country in the region.
LOS40, a leading music and radio network with nine branches in Latin America and Spain, on Sept. 5 called the event, ''an unprecedented online concert where K-pop meets talented youth from four countries: Spain, Brazil, Mexico and Argentina.''
ABC, one of Spain's top three dailies, said, ''(The festival) is a revolutionary music festival conveying messages of comfort and overcoming COVID-19 to youth in the Ibero-American region through Korean culture and K-pop amid the lack of opportunity to enjoy culture due to the pandemic.''
Yi Chong-yul, director of the KCC in Madrid, said, ''In the era of non-contact life amid the COVID-19 pandemic, this festival brought together about 25,000 Korean culture fans from 21 countries in the Ibero-American region, not just a single country, that share the same language and culture.''
''This festival holds significance as it brought comfort through K-pop for its fans who gathered online for livestreaming though they all live in different time zones and places.''
kimhyelin211@korea.kr
