By Kim Seon Ah

Video = Busan One Asia Festival's official website 

Top K-pop acts will gather in Busan this weekend to wish for success in the port city's bid to host the 2030 World Expo.

Busan Metropolitan City on Oct. 19 said it will host the Busan One Asia Festival, the largest Hallyu (Korean Wave) festival in Asia, from Oct. 21-22.

This year's edition is the first held offline in four years since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Performances by famous domestic music acts along with diverse cultural events will promote the bid.

A K-pop concert, the main highlight of the festival, will start on Oct. 21 at 6:30 p.m. at Busan Asiad Main Stadium, with 10 acts scheduled including NCT 127, OH MY GIRL and The Wind. Interactive side events will also promote the World Expo bid by showcasing the city's cultural content by theme such as beauty and cosmetics, art and Hansik.

Scheduled for Oct. 22 at 6 p.m. at Pier 1 of the Port of Busan is "Park Concert," another highlight featuring music from popular K-dramas. The featured acts include a dance team of the International Dance Organization with members from Korea, India, Thailand, Hong Kong and Taiwan, singers Baek Ji Young and Lyn, and the male duo DECEMBER.

Launched in 2016, the festival is a venue for cultural exchange for Hallyu (Korean Wave) where youth around the world can gather and enjoy Korean culture. 

More information on the festival and concert lineups is available on the event's official website (www.bof.or.kr).

This is the promotional poster of this year's Busan One Asia Festival. (Busan Metropolitan City)